Dept. of Geosciences Colloquium: Exoplanets From a Geoscience Perspective

Abstract:

Two decades after the discovery of the first planet outside of our solar system, thousands of planets have been detected and confirmed. The large number of planet detections has vastly increased our knowledge about the distribution of planets and planetary systems in the universe. Despite of the vast knowledge we have gathered regarding the distribution of planets, we still have extremely limited observational constrains about the characterization of planets, their structure, and their atmospheres. Nevertheless, exoplanet characterization is a growing field. We now seek to transition from stating whether a planet resides in the habitable zone to investigate whether a specific planet is habitable. This transition incorporates the transition of the field of exoplanets from Astronomy to Planetary Science and Geosciences. In my talk, I will review the main differences between the science approaches, and will highlight exoplanets problems that require a geoscience perspective.

Event Organizers: Dr. Roy Barkan and Dr. Asaf Inbal