Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets (ASTEP)

Seminar Detail

Observing Extrasolar Worlds: From Gas Giant to Terrestrial Planets

Presenter: Giovanna Tinetti

June 2, 2008 11:00 AM Pacific

In the past decade, over 280 planets orbiting other stars (extrasolar planets) have been discovered. For a growing sample of giant extrasolar planets orbiting very close to their parent star (hot-Jupiters), we can already probe their atmospheric constituents using transit techniques. With this method, we can indirectly observe the thin atmospheric ring surrounding the optically thick disc of the planet -the limb- while the planet is transiting in front of its parent star. This method was traditionally used to probe the atmospheres of planets in our Solar System and most recently, thanks to the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes, was successfully applied to exoplanets. In our seminar, we will focus in the most recent detections of water vapour and other carbon-molecules in the atmosphere of hot-Jupiters using photometry and spectroscopy. A new generation of space telescopes is expected to be launched in the next decade: the James Webb Space Telescope. The improved sensitivity of the instruments on board JWST will allow us to probe the atmospheres of transiting Earth-size planets, down to the habitable zone.

Participation Instructions

With a Polycom....RSVP to Marco Boldt (Marco.Boldt@nasa.gov) and connect to WebEx as instructed below. If you need Polycom help during the live event, message Marco Boldt in WebEx.

The slides from the seminar can be accessed real-time using WebEx at:

https://nasa.webex.com

Enter the meeting number: 925 067 502 Hit the "join now" button.

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Without a Polycom...There are two ways to participate:

1) You can listen to the seminar on the telephone while viewing the slides in WebEx (see WebEx instructions above). The NASA conference phone number will be displayed when joining the WebEx meeting.

2) You can watch the Realplayer webcast at: http://vanseg-1.arc.nasa.gov/2008/AB080602-01.ram and view the slides in WebEx (see WebEx instructions above) There is a 30 second delay for the webcast, so you will need to control the slides manually using the arrow buttons in WebEx. Questions for the speaker can be posted in the WebEx chat area to be answered at the end of the talk. Do not try to watch the Realplayer webcast at the same time as the Polycom or the phone.

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