Colloquium: Andrew Skemer (UC Santa Cruz)

Abstract: Large telescopes like Keck and the James Webb Space Telescope can spatially separate gas-giant exoplanets from the glare of their bright host stars.  The technologies needed to image these exoplanets are complex, and only a small number of exoplanets have been imaged.  However, the planets that have been imaged are amenable to multi-band photometry and spectroscopy, providing an opportunity for detailed characterization of planetary processes.  I will share some early results from the James Webb Space Telescope, demonstrating the observatory’s ability to image new types of exoplanets, detect new molecules, and even detect weather-driven variability.   Finally, I will describe new Keck instrumentation that will obtain higher angular resolution and higher spectral resolution images of exoplanets.