David Elder lecture - Prof Raymond Pierrehumbert

Strange New Worlds

Prof. Raymond Pierrehumbert, University of Oxford

Not long ago, for all we knew our Solar System might have held the only planets in the Universe. Though it had been long anticipated that other stars hosted planets, dramatic developments of astronomy in the past two decades have revealed that the Universe is teeming with planets. In fact, it turns out that it is hard to make a star without also making some planets out of the material left over. Now, with the James Webb Space Telescope, we are able to take a deep dive into what these planets are really like.

In this talk, I’ll give a grand tour of some of the exotic planets out there that are unlike anything we know in the Solar System: Lava planets with oceans of molten rock on a permanent dayside; Hot Jupiters where it rains droplets of iron; Miniature Neptunes, with atmospheres thousands of times thicker than Earth’s. And who knows — out there somewhere there may be a planet with a liquid water ocean hospitable for life — and maybe even inhabited. We haven’t found it yet, but it’s out there waiting for us.

About the speaker

Raymond T. Pierrehumbert is the Halley Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford, having previously served on the faculties of University of Chicago, Princeton and M.I.T. His work embraces both theoretical fluid dynamics and physics of planetary climate, with the latter including work on global change, deep-time Earth paleoclimate, climate of Solar System planets and climate of exoplanets. He was a lead author of the IPCC Third Assessment report, and has been a co-author of numerous U.S. National Research Council reports, including reports on abrupt climate change, climate stabilization targets, and climate interventions. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Geophysical Union and the Royal Society, was awarded an honorary doctorate in environmental science by Stockholm University, and has been named Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes Academiques by the Republic of France for his work on climate physics. He was awarded the 2022 Royal Society Rumford medal. Pierrehumbert is the author of the highly regarded textbook, Principles of Planetary Climate (Cambridge University Press), and recently published Planetary Systems: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press).

About the David Elder Lectures

Glasgow Science Centre is proud to host the David Elder Lectures in partnership with the University of Strathclyde's Department of Physics. This lecture is open to adults and interested young adults. Please ensure you arrive at least 10 minutes before the event begins. After the start the doors will be closed and access will not be permitted.

More information about the David Elder Lectures and upcoming lectures.