Growing Worlds

Do you want to get involved in real exoplanet research? Listen as hosts Jeni and Lorenzo are joined with Anastasia Kokori, a PhD candidate in Exoplanetary Science at University College London. Anastasia is the coordinator of ExoClock and ExoClock Unlocked, an international effort that brings together professional astronomers, students, and amateur observers to monitor exoplanet transits and add to the development of exoplanet research. Anastasia tells her story, from a teacher in primary education to the exoplanet expert she is today and shares her incredible passion for science communication. She is an advocate for communicating science in a way that is accessible to all and ensures growth of the scientific community.
Listen to hear more about the exciting work of Anastasia and ExoClock and how you can make significant contributions to exoplanet understanding.

Dr Raissa Estrela from NASA's JPL explains how exoplanet observations reveal clues to Earth’s past and perfect balance. Your hosts, Jeni and Lorenzo, chat with Raissa about exoplanet spectra, through which scientists can decode the fingerprints of distant atmospheres, revealing chemical compositions, evolutionary stages, and even parallels to early Earth. These comparisons act as the perfect ‘textbook’ for understanding how planets form, change, and sustain life. Ultimately, Raissa’s message is clear: by studying other worlds, we learn the value and fragility of our own.

Bring yourself back to Earth through an inspiring chat with Dr Giulia Roccetti, an ESA research fellow at the European Space Astronomy Centre in Madrid. Hosts Jeni and Lorenzo join Giulia for a discussion about the innovative approach of using Earth as a proxy for exoplanet research through the investigation of Earthshine.
Giulia’s journey started from her ever-present passion for environmental science, which led her to research that combines atmospheric physics, climate science and exoplanet research. She now develops advanced radiative transfer models to simulate how planets interact with light, using Earth as the test. Listen as Giulia talks us through the ‘pinball’ path of photons between Sun, Earth and Moon, and the complexities of modelling Earth’s atmosphere.

Explore the science of one of the trickier components of exoplanet science: clouds, as hosts Jeni and Lorenzo are joined by Dr Sushuang Ma, a researcher at King’s College London. Sushuang’s work centres on modelling and retrieving exoplanetary atmospheres. She shares the significance of temperature and the role it plays in determining the interesting characteristics of clouds, which are not the fluffy white water vapour clouds we are used to. Listen as the conversation guides you through the intriguing clouds of exoplanets and why we must go beyond the simple ‘opaque cloud’ models for the next generation of observations.

Explore the dark side of stars with Dr Mayuko Mori, a postdoctoral researcher at the Astrobiology Centre in Tokyo. Listen as hosts Jeni and Lorenzo chat with Mayuko about star spots and their significance in exoplanet characterisation. These cooler, darker areas on the surface of a star can lead to potentially misleading discoveries, and therefore, expanding our understanding is crucial for enhancing our knowledge of other worlds. However, it is not just for the pros! Dr Mori calls out to amateur astronomers to get involved in star-spot research. Tune in to discover more about these dark areas of stars, what they mean for exoplanet observations and how you can get involved!