演講資訊

摘要：

Exomoons remain amongst the most elusive targets in observational astronomy. Nevertheless, these worlds stand to provide an unprecedented window into the formation and evolution of planetary systems. If the Solar System is any guide, we can expect exomoons will be geologically active and diverse, with the potential for hosting volatiles, atmospheres, and even life. Moreover, a thorough understanding of the population and occurrence rates of exomoons will help to place our own Solar System in a galactic context, speaking to the commonality of our own history. And though there are a variety of known pathways for moon formation, the discovery of exomoons may yet reveal heretofore unanticipated system architectures, defying easy explanation and thereby enriching our theoretical understanding of system formation. In this talk I will present recent efforts to identify exomoons with Kepler and Hubble, highlight some new results, and discuss my ongoing efforts to identify and characterize exomoon systems.