Peering into Alien Skies: A virtual seminar with Dr. Caroline Morley

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Explore the groundbreaking work of Exoplanet Atmospheres with JWST by Dr. Caroline Morley. Dive into how JWST is revolutionizing our understanding of distant worlds' atmospheres, revealing the cosmic soup that might harbor life.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been a beacon of discovery since its launch, and now, after two years of operation, its impact on our understanding of the universe, particularly in exoplanet science, is nothing short of revolutionary. We are at a pivotal moment where the characterization of worlds beyond our solar system is becoming increasingly detailed, thanks to JWST's unparalleled capabilities.

This is why The Houston Astronomical Society is excited to announce a free virtual seminar featuring Dr. Caroline Morley, an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, who will delve into the latest findings from JWST concerning exoplanet atmospheres. Dr. Morley's expertise spans from super-Jupiters to Earth-sized planets, offering a comprehensive view of what these distant worlds might be like.

Seminar Highlights:

Exoplanet Atmospheres with JWST: Dr. Morley will showcase the most exciting results from JWST's first two years, focusing on how these findings are reshaping our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres.
Jupiter Analogs and Cold Brown Dwarfs: Explore the path to observing true Jupiter analogs through the study of the coldest brown dwarfs and directly-imaged planets, including recent detections of deuterium and potential aurorae.
Atmospheric Loss and Small Planets: Understand how atmosphere loss is sculpting the atmospheres of smaller planets, and what this means for future studies of Earth-sized planets.
Future of Exoplanet Science: Dr. Morley will speculate on where the next decade might take us, providing insights into the vast amount of data JWST delivers weekly to astronomers.

About Dr. Caroline Morley:

Dr. Morley's academic journey from MIT to UC Santa Cruz, and her subsequent roles including a NASA Sagan Fellowship at Harvard, have equipped her with a unique perspective on exoplanet atmospheres. Her work involves simulating these atmospheres to infer their properties, covering a wide spectrum of planetary types.