Astro Seminar Series - VIA ZOOM

Nicolas Cowan is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Planetary Climate at McGill University. His group uses telescopes and models to study the climates of exoplanets. Cowan was previously an Assistant Professor of Astronomy at Amherst College, and a CIERA Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University.

Talk Title and Abstract

Atmospheres of Hot Planets

Three decades of planet hunting have taught us that short-period planets are abundant in the Galaxy.  Since there are no such planets in the Solar System, it is hard to predict what they are like. Fortunately, observations from telescopes in space and on the ground are beginning to make a dent in our ignorance.  I will present recent research highlights from the McGill Exoplanet Characterization Alliance, focusing on two classes of short-period planets: hot Jupiters and lava planets.  These investigations include theory, numerical simulations, and observations with the Spitzer, Hubble, and Kepler space telescopes.  If time allows, I will discuss prospects for establishing the habitability of nearby temperate terrestrial planets with the James Webb Space Telescope.

Would you like to join this Zoom seminar? Please email WCA.