Centre for Exoplanet Science

About us

Information about the Centre for Exoplanet Science.

This is a very exciting time for exoplanet science as we now have a large number of known planets outside our Solar System (currently more than 3500) and we are starting to be able to both characterise their internal composition and determine some of the properties of their atmospheres.   The next decade, or so, will see remarkable advances in our understanding of exoplanets and could see us both finding the first true Earth analogue and, potentially, starting to detect signatures that may tell us something of whether such planets could host life.

Sizing up exoplanets
Some examples of exoplanet sizes, compared to Earth and Mars (NASA/JPL - Caltech).

 

The Centre for Exoplanet Science is an initiative aimed at expanding our research in exoplanet science and bringing together researchers from different disciplines who have an interest in this general area.  It currently includes researchers from the School of GeoSciences and the School of Physics and Astronomy and has links with the Institute for Astronomy, the UK Astronomy Technology Centre, and the UK Centre for Astrobiology and is also affiliated with the Centre for Exoplanet Science at the University of St Andrews.

The researchers associated with the centre have interests that span theoretical modelling of star and planet formation, the detection and characterisation of exoplanets, modelling of planetary atmospheres, and understanding the conditions required for habitability.  Our philosophy is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts: by pooling our research expertise we can improve fundamental understanding of exoplanets and exoplanetary systems.