EAPS Explores Exoplanets: Hello Worlds - Beyond the Edge of Our Solar System

Take a trip to worlds beyond our Solar System via the work of four exoplaneteers at MIT EAPS. We’ll discuss the cutting-edge research at EAPS that is unveiling how planets form, finding nearby exoplanets that could be suitable for life, studying their atmospheres—in part by understanding how starspots can masquerade as planetary atmospheres in data—and seeking out unmistakable signatures of life in planetary atmospheres. Our journey will showcase Artemis, MIT’s very own exoplanet-hunting telescope in Tenerife, Spain, and provide a long-sought answer to the timeless question, “What might aliens smell like?”

Featuring:

Julien de Wit, Assistant Professor, EAPS

     -" Discovering and studying new worlds to consolidate our understanding of planets and habitats" 

     - Website: https://www.disruptiveplanets.mit.edu/

Benjamin Rackham, 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellow, EAPS

     - “Disentangling stellar and planetary spectral signals in transit data.”

     - Website: https://eapsweb.mit.edu/people/brackham

Tajana Schniederman, PhD Candidate, EAPS

     - "Understanding how planets form and evolve" 

     - Talk on stardust: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP5dYFBv1AA

Clara Sousa-Sliva, 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellow, EAPS and Harvard

     - "Finding biosignatures beyond Earth" 

     - Website: https://clarasousasilva.com/

Visit the MITAA event registration page to learn more!