EXOPLANETS
Over the past several decades, astronomers have discovered thousands of planets orbiting stars other than the Sun. Learn about the various methods (transits, radial velocities, microlensing, and direct imaging) used to detect these exoplanets, the inherent challenges and limitations of current methodologies (data quality, processing, and bias), and theories related to exoplanet formation, atmospheres, and habitability.
Prerequisites & course information
Requisites: ( ASTRON 310 or concurrent enrollment), ( ASTRON 320 or concurrent enrollment), or graduate/professional standing Course Designation: Core GenEd - Natural Science & Wellness Breadth - Physical Science Level - Advanced L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Spring 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Describe how exoplanets are discovered and the limitations of current discovery methods. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 2. Summarize the current theories of planet formation and observations of protoplanetary disks. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 3. Explain observations of exoplanet atmospheres and habitability theories. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 4. Use mathematical reasoning to derive planet properties from astronomical data. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 5. Demonstrate how astronomical data is proposed for, obtained, reduced, and analyzed. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 6. Effectively communicate scientific results in a written format. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 7. Create a "full-fledged and potentially competitive" telescope proposal Audience: Graduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Describe how exoplanets are discovered and the limitations of current discovery methods. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 2. Summarize the current theories of planet formation and observations of protoplanetary disks. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 3. Explain observations of exoplanet atmospheres and habitability theories. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 4. Use mathematical reasoning to derive planet properties from astronomical data. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 5. Demonstrate how astronomical data is proposed for, obtained, reduced, and analyzed. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 6. Effectively communicate scientific results in a written format. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 7. Create a "full-fledged and potentially competitive" telescope proposal Audience: Graduate
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027