Infrared Observations of Forming Stars and Planets: Seeing the Light (and Feeling the Heat)

Prof. Dr. Michael R. Meyer, Institut für Astronomie, ETH Zürich

Stars are born in clouds of gas and dust in space where the local gravity overwhelms opposing forces. And planets in turn, are formed in swirling disks of gas and dust that surround young stars at birth. As these young stars and tiny planets are cool (temperatures ranging from 30-3000 Kelvins) and enshrouded in the dusty regions from which they form, they are best observed in the infrared region of the spectrum, redder than the reddest things your eyes can see. You will learn the current state of the art in our ability to observe the birth of stars and planets, as well as get some idea of what can be achieved in the next decade both from ground-based observatories as well as in space. 

(Vortrag in englischer Sprache)