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SUMMARY:The Exoplanet Revolution - Professor Didier Queloz\, University of
  Cambridge
DTSTART:20240216T173000Z
DTEND:20240216T183000Z
UID:TALK206464@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Janet Gibson
DESCRIPTION:Until recently\, the solar system provided the only basis for 
 our knowledge of planets and life in the Universe. In 1995 Didier Queloz a
 nd Michel Mayor dramatically changed this view with their discovery of the
  first giant planet outside our solar system. This spawned a revolution in
  astronomy\, both in terms of new instrumentation and in our understanding
  of planet formation and evolution. Planets outside our solar system\, orb
 iting other stars\, are called exoplanets. Thousands of exoplanets have be
 en identified over the last three decades\, ranging from large planets lik
 e Jupiter to smaller denser objects like the Earth. The diversity and prol
 ific quantity of these discoveries has revolutionised our understanding of
  the nature and formation of planets\, opening up a surprising new perspec
 tive on the possible rarity of planetary systems similar to our own. It ha
 s also raised exciting prospects for the potential to probe planetary atmo
 spheres for traces of life.  \n\nDidier Queloz is Professor of Physics at 
 the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge and Professor of Astronomy at the Un
 iversity of Geneva. His research focuses on the detection and measurement 
 of exoplanet systems\, aiming to retrieve information about their physical
  structure and to better understand their formation and evolution\, by com
 parison with our solar system. More recently he has worked on the detectio
 n of Earth-like planets and life in the Universe. In 2019 he received the 
 Nobel Prize in Physics for his research and discoveries. At Cambridge he l
 eads a research program with the goal of making further progress in our un
 derstanding of the formation\, structure\, and habitability of exoplanets 
 in the Universe\, as well as to promote and share the excitement of this w
 ork with the public.  \n
LOCATION:Lady Mitchell Hall\, Sidgwick Avenue
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