March 3, 2017 7-9PM

Event Type: Lecture and Stargazing
Title: The Elusive Origins of Hot Jupiters
Lecturer: Konstantin Batygin
Position: Professor, Planetary Science
Institution: Caltech
Abstract:
Hot Jupiters, giant planets taking less than 10 days to orbit their host star, were among the first planets to be discovered around other stars like our own Sun. These planets have long been thought to form in the outer parts of young star systems before migrating in towards the hot inner regions near the host star where they are observed. More than two decades after their unveiling, however, hot Jupiters remain imperfectly understood. In this talk, I will discuss a radical idea -- that many hot Jupiter planets may actually form near their host star, built up by a population of smaller planets. I will present observational avenues towards confirming or refuting this model with significant implications for the evolution of planets around the galaxy.