WESTPORT–For anyone curious about newly discovered planets beyond our solar system, astronomy enthusiast Michael Telesco will discuss the discovery of Cooper-d, a Mars-sized planet on a 150-day orbit from its star, at the Westport Observatory at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18.

Telesco, who is headed to Stanford University to study astrophysics after graduating New Canaan High School, will talk about more than 30 new such “exoplanets” in the event. It is part of the Westport Astronomical Society (WAS) lecture series at the observatory at 182 Bayberry Lane, Westport.

“In this talk, I will trace this story from method to discovery: how a deep-learning pipeline opens up the long-period desert where small planets hide, how Cooper-d was detected and validated, how it completes a scaled analog of our own Solar System, and what its architecture reveals about how such systems form,” he said in the WAS announcement of the talk.

Telesco searched for the planets using data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope, focusing on planets with orbits of 150 to 200 days. The method led to the discovery of 30 new exoplanets, of which two are potentially rocky worlds in the habitable zones of their stars, Telesco said in the announcement.

Having developed a passion for astronomy at a young age, Telesco has won various astrophotography awards, the WAC said. He is also the second youngest person ever to discover a new nebula, designated TelCom 1, a confirmed planetary nebula in the constellation Vela, the WAC announcement of the event said.

During his high school years, Telesco engaged in astronomy outreach, running local stargazing events in his community and social media and websites for Connecticut dark sky initiatives, which aim to reduce light pollution. He ran the astronomy club at his school, which secured a $1,500 grant from NASA’s TechRise program to conduct quantum dot research in space. 

The public is invited to the lecture in the WAS Classroom at the Westport Observatory, 182 Bayberry Lane, Westport. It will also be live-streamed on Zoom, and posted to the WAS YouTube channel afterward.

Learn more about the event here.