Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
With hydrogen and oxygen being two of the most abundant elements in the universe, it may be no surprise that water is found, in one form or another, all over the place! In our solar system alone, there may be nearly a dozen objects harboring vast oceans beneath their icy surfaces. In this episode, we chat with a NASA mission scientist about these “ocean worlds” --- why they’re so cool, what we still don’t understand about them, and why NASA considers them a prime target for studies in the next decade.
Dr. Amanda Hendrix is a CU alumnus and planetary scientist known for her pioneering studies of solar system bodies at ultraviolet wavelengths. She was a co-investigator on the Cassini and Galileo UVS instruments, is a Participating Scientist on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LAMP instrument, and is a Principal Investigator on Hubble Space Telescope observing programs. She is also the co-lead of the NASA Roadmaps to Ocean Worlds Group, advocating for exploration of ocean worlds in the outer solar system. Hendrix was also a NASA astronaut candidate finalist in 2000.
Fiske is one of the largest planetariums in the US, having served CU Boulder & the local community since 1975. We offer a diverse range of fulldome films, live talks, laser and liquid sky shows, as well as public gatherings for astronomical and NASA-related events.
Follow Fiske Planetarium:
Website | https://www.colorado.edu/fiske
Instagram | instagram.com/fiskeplanet
Facebook | facebook.com/teamfiske
With hydrogen and oxygen being two of the most abundant elements in the universe, it may be no surprise that water is found, in one form or another, all over the place! In our solar system alone, there may be nearly a dozen objects harboring vast oceans beneath their icy surfaces. In this episode, we chat with a NASA mission scientist about these “ocean worlds” --- why they’re so cool, what we still don’t understand about them, and why NASA considers them a prime target for studies in the next decade.
Dr. Amanda Hendrix is a CU alumnus and planetary scientist known for her pioneering studies of solar system bodies at ultraviolet wavelengths. She was a co-investigator on the Cassini and Galileo UVS instruments, is a Participating Scientist on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LAMP instrument, and is a Principal Investigator on Hubble Space Telescope observing programs. She is also the co-lead of the NASA Roadmaps to Ocean Worlds Group, advocating for exploration of ocean worlds in the outer solar system. Hendrix was also a NASA astronaut candidate finalist in 2000.
Fiske is one of the largest planetariums in the US, having served CU Boulder & the local community since 1975. We offer a diverse range of fulldome films, live talks, laser and liquid sky shows, as well as public gatherings for astronomical and NASA-related events.
Follow Fiske Planetarium:
Website | https://www.colorado.edu/fiske
Instagram | instagram.com/fiskeplanet
Facebook | facebook.com/teamfiske
