CLSTHAP418 - The Birth of Planets: How Do Habitable Planets Form?
Over the past two and half decades, more than 5,000 planets have been discovered orbiting other stars in our galaxy. These discoveries have galvanized interest among scientists and the general public in some of the oldest questions humankind has considered: How did we get here? Are we alone? Observations from a new generation of telescopes and instruments, particularly from James Webb Space Telescope, are providing important new clues to answer these questions. Learn about current theories of planet formation, the observations modern astronomers use to test these ideas and the history of our current understanding of the solar system’s formation. We also consider the prospects for finding life elsewhere in our solar system and in our near galactic neighborhood. In addition, the course considers how new observations with next-generation telescopes and satellites will answer many questions related to our understanding of life in the universe and our place within it.
Course Details
Christopher Johns-Krull, Ph.D., is a professor and department chair of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University. His research focuses on observational studies of star and planet formation, with a particular emphasis on the search for extrasolar planets orbiting very young stars. Teams led by Dr. Johns-Krull discovered a hot Jupiter orbiting a two-million-year-old star and found evidence that a hot Jupiter orbiting another young star is being evaporated by intense radiation from the star. Dr. Johns-Krull has also taken part in the discovery of several additional hot Jupiters orbiting middle-aged stars like the sun.
On campus
This course will be delivered on campus/in person. Classroom and parking information will be sent prior to your course start date.
- Basic structure of the solar system and solar nebula theory
- Current theories of star formation
- Methods astronomers use to search for exoplanets
- The newest generation of telescopes and instruments including the James Webb Space Telescope
- Recent observations of newly formed planets around very young stars
- Conditions needed for life and where these are likely to be found in the universe; arguments for and against life as common throughout the galaxy
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University