Exoplanets

Understanding planetary evolution and how life emerged on Earth are among the most fundamental questions in planetary science and astronomy. We are living in an exciting era where, in addition to the planets in our Solar System, we can study and characterize thousands of exoplanets orbiting other stars. Exoplanet studies at LPL cover a broad range of topics and benefit from unique departmental collaborations that bridge Solar System planetary science to astronomy. Key themes include the characterization and dispersal of protoplanetary disks around young stars, dynamics and stability of planetary systems, direct imaging and transit observations of exoplanets, and exoplanet atmospheric formation, evolution, and characterization.