Merle Schrader is a PhD candidate  working with the  “Exo-Aimsir Group” working at Trinity College Dublin to study Weather on other Worlds.

For centuries, people have looked at the night sky and wondered what worlds might orbit other stars. In the past few decades, that question has shifted from imagination to discovery. Over the past 30 years, astronomers have found more than 6,000 exoplanets. Yet these discoveries have raised as many questions as they have answered.  A planet’s atmosphere can reveal its temperature, weather, winds, and chemistry. It may also hold clues about how the planet formed, how it evolved, and whether it might be capable of supporting life. By analyzing atmospheric molecules, scientists can begin to build a more complete picture of these distant worlds.

What is the weather like on these planets outside our own solar system? From worlds with aurorae brighter than our own, to planets whipped by giant storms, these alien atmospheres can be far more extreme than anything in our own solar system.  In this talk, Merle will  explore how astronomers use tiny changes in starlight to uncover the weather on worlds light-years away, to reveal giant, dynamic, ever-changing atmospheres across the galaxy.

Central Library contact details
Phone: 01 222 8300
Email: centrallibrary@dublincity.ie