PORT ORCHARD — Curious about the Red Planet? A Port Orchard professor of physics will shed some light on Earth’s neighbor, its history and whether it was ever habitable.

At 6 p.m. on Jan. 29, Dr. Bob Abel, a professor at Olympic College and a DIRAC Fellow at the University of Washington’s DIRAC (Data Intensive Research in Astrophysics and Cosmology), will speak at the Port Orchard Market. His presentation at the market’s Science Slam, “Searching for Martians,” will center on the possibility that Mars was once habitable and could have hosted life in its past.

Abel has a master’s degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering and a Ph.D. in space physics. He currently is working on atmospheric compensation techniques for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), set to begin operation in 2022.

The presentation at 715 Bay St. is free. Food and beverages will be available for order.