Visualizing the Unseen

The search for planet orbiting other stars is one of the most rapidly expanding fields of research in astronomy. However the planets are so small, faint, and far away Hubble cannot image them in detail, nor any other present day telescope. Instead, Dr. Hurt will explain how Hubble spectroscopic and photometric observations are used to characterize planet atmospheres for their structure, composition, and even color, often inspiring artistic illustrations.