VPL Astrobiology Colloquium Series Remote Sensing of Extrasolar Planets

Presenter: Michael Line (University of California, Santa Cruz )

When: May 13th, 2014 3pm PDT

 

Thanks to the Kepler spacecraft, we now know that nearly every star in our galaxy possess a planet. Understanding these planets is key to understanding our place in the universe. Over the past decade we have begun to characterize exoplanet atmospheres using ground and space based observatories. Such observations reveal clues to the composition and temperature structures of these planets. Dr. Line will discuss how we can use statistical methods combined with radiative transfer, known as atmospheric retrieval, to infer the temperatures and compositions of these planets, and will describe what we have learned about a small handful of extra solar planet atmospheres from these methods. Understanding the composition of these objects offer clues to the atmospheric chemistry, dynamics, their formation history. Time permitting, Dr. Line will address how we might apply these tools to earth-like transmission spectra and what we might be able to say about their atmospheres.

 

How to Participate in this Virtual Seminar

 

To join using a web browser:

The slides and audio/video for this meeting will be presented using Adobe Connect. To join the meeting, connect to: http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/uwseminar

 

If you are having problems connecting, you can try joining http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/uwseminar/?launcher=false, rebooting your computer, or try joining from another network.

 

To join using a videoconferencing system:

Please RSVP to Mike Toillion (mike.toillion@nasa.gov) ONLY if you will be joining by videoconference.

 

To view the slides, connect to http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/uwseminar

Presented by the Virtual Planetary Laboratory, a member of the NASA Astrobiology Institute.