→ Widely unknown Exoplanet Astronomer

The Exoclimes 2012 conference will be held in Aspen, Colorado on January 16-20, 2012. Online registration for the Exoclimes 2012 conference is now available at the Aspen website, by following this link, and click on “Winter applications”. You will need to register and then select “Exoclimes 2012″.

From the exoclimes.org website:

Planetary atmospheres are complex and evolving entities, as mankind is rapidly coming to realise whilst attempting to understand, forecast and mitigate human-induced climate change. In the Solar System, our neighbours Venus and Mars provide striking examples of two endpoints of planetary evolution, runaway greenhouse and loss of atmosphere to space. The variety of extra-solar planets brings a wider angle to the issue: from scorching “hot jupiters” to ocean worlds, exoatmospheres explore many configurations unknown in the Solar System, such as iron clouds, silicate rains, extreme plate tectonics, and steam volcanoes.

Exoplanetary atmospheres have recently become accessible to observations. What observations are possible in the foreseeable future? And how will they constrain the climate on other worlds?

An artists impression of ultracool dwarfs, and how they might look like to the naked eye, should you ever travel out into space to have a look at them directly. The hotter ultracool dwarf is on the left. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The direct imaging method, whereby the exoplanet is photographed directly, is one of the most difficult methods for studying exoplanets. To date, less than 30 exoplanets have been studied this way. The type of exoplanets studied using the direct imaging technique are usually big, bright planets with big orbits. Exoplanets too close to the host star simply get lost in the glare of the star, a bit like looking at a firefly really close to the sun on a bright summers day. One way in which we astronomers can learn something about the exoplanet is by performing what is known as photometry. That is, observing how the amount of light from the planet varies over a period of time. This can give ut some hints as to what the upper visible atmosphere is like.

The ultracool approach

By studying ultracool dwarfs (really cool “small” stars) it will be possible to learn more about the atmospheres of exoplanets. These ultracool dwarfs are similar in temperature to the exoplanets discovered by direct imaging method and also have the advantage of not having a great big blinding star close by. Studying their atmospheres might give us a hint as to what conditions give dusty or clear atmospheres. It is an interesting field of study as it might give us a better understanding of cloud formations in cool atmospheres. Our own solar system show banding and persistent storm systems. How common it is for planets to have these features is something astronomers are trying to figure out.

The Red Spot of Jupiter.