Probing Worlds Beyond Our Solar System
Nikole Lewis, Space Telescope Science Institute
Since the discovery of the first exoplanets 20 years ago, the field has expanded rapidly. More than 3,000 confirmed planets are now known outside of our solar system. This is the start of a new era in exoplanet science, where we go beyond measuring planetary mass and radius and begin to probe their atmospheres. Such observations provide a critical step in our understanding of planet formation and are key to assessing the potential habitability of exoplanets. We currently utilize a variety of methods to detect and characterize exoplanets, and upcoming missions will have the potential to detect signatures of life on distant worlds.
Host: Dr. Frank Summers
Recorded live on June 7, 2016 at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, USA
For more information: http://hubblesite.org/about_us/public_talks/