Attend the 2026 Karlis Kaufmanis Lecture on Wednesday, Sept. 16
Learn about interstellar objects and solar systems!
The Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics will host Dr. Chris Lintott for the 2026 Karlis Kaufmanis Lecture.
In July 2025, a telescope in Chile detected an incoming object known as 3I/ATLAS. The small comet likely formed more than seven billion years ago, before the Sun, in a star system in a different region of the galaxy. It is only the third interstellar object ever observed passing through the solar system.
In this lecture, Lintott explores what these rare objects can reveal about the origins and evolution of planetary systems. He also places them in the broader context of recent discoveries about small bodies in the solar system, including findings from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. Together, these results suggest a far more dynamic and chaotic history of the solar system than previously understood.
About Chris Lintott
Chris Lintott is a professor of astrophysics at the University of Oxford and Gresham Professor of Astronomy in London. He is widely known for his research in galaxy formation and for his leadership of the Zooniverse citizen science platform, which enables millions of volunteers worldwide to contribute to scientific research, from identifying distant galaxies to discovering exoplanets.
In addition to his academic work, Lintott has co-presented the BBC program The Sky at Night for more than 25 years. He is also an author of several popular science books, including Accidental Astronomy and The Crowd and the Cosmos. His work is recognized for combining scientific expertise with accessible public communication.
Outside of astronomy, Lintott is interested in cricket, real tennis, cooking and walking his lurcher, Mr. Max.