Speaker's Night: Hunting for and characterizing other worlds

How many planets do we know? How do we find them? Is the Solar System unique? Tremendous progress has been made since the first discovery of a planet orbiting another star than the Sun, two decades ago. We have now discovered a great number of planets and planetary systems orbiting around other stars, including planets as small as the Earth. We even have a first idea of the planet population in our Galaxy. We can also measure the composition, the temperature, and probe the atmosphere of these planets. In this talk, Dr. Crouzet will describe a very powerful method to search for exoplanets and to measure their properties. He will present several instruments dedicated to that purpose, and show examples of discoveries. Altogether, this helps us to understand how planets form and evolve, and puts our Solar System in the much broader context of planetary systems.

Who can attend: everyone including non-members
Fee: free
Reservation not needed
Location: North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge Street, Toronto ON  M2N 5V7
Meeting Room: Council Chambers