Speaker: Lili Alderson (Bristol)

Date: Thursday 7 December 2023

Time: 14:00

Location: Biomedical Bldg C44

Transiting Exoplanets: The Eras Tour - The Past, Present and Future of Atmospheric Observations

The known population of planets in our universe is highly diverse, spanning system configurations, masses and radii, and compositions beyond anything seen in our Solar System. In order to understand this complex picture, atmospheric characterisation is needed to delve deeper into the processes that govern these worlds, with space-based telescopes proving an invaluable tool in this effort. After two decades of transit spectroscopy observations with Hubble, JWST has revolutionised the insights that can be gained from an exoplanet's atmosphere, but challenges still remain. In this talk, I will present transmission spectra and the inferences gained for three planetary systems observed with space-based telescopes from the largest, fluffiest gas giants down to a rocky super-Earth, demonstrating the challenges and triumphs of the past, present, future and beyond.