The Evolution of Planetary Systems Across Time and Space
Mar
1
2025
Mar
1
2025
Description
Learn how planetary systems change over time from the leader of a research group studying the formation and evolution of planetary systems and their host stars across their full lifespans.
Follow along to find out what happens as collapsing clouds of gas and dust transform into planetary systems. What are the key forces that sculpt planetary systems to look like — or very unlike — our own? How do researchers use observations from a wide range of ground-based telescopes, including at the McDonald Observatory and Keck Observatory, and from space telescopes such as James Webb, Gaia, Hubble, Kepler and TESS? The 2025 Great Lecture in Astronomy is made possible thanks to support from the McDonald Observatory and Department of Astronomy Board of Visitors and the Texas Science Festival.
Adam Kraus is a professor of astronomy at UT Austin. His research focuses on the formation and evolution of planetary systems, including programs to directly image gas giant planets as they form in orbit around other stars. He also studies the process of star formation, which sets the stage upon which planet formation can occur.