Join Professor Ingo Mueller-Wodarg, online or in person, for his Imperial Inaugural.
We have limited in-person spaces available so please ensure you register in advance via Eventbrite.
Livestream link: https://bit.ly/YT-IngoMuellerWodarg
Abstract
Most planets and some moons in our solar system possess permanent atmospheres, some of which are similar to Earth’s and many of which are vastly different. Their upper regions, the thermospheres, ionospheres and exospheres form the critical interface with the space environment. Most attempts to predict these structures and variability on the basis of known physical processes and behaviours have failed, highlighting the importance of the often unknown balance of ingredients shaping these environments.
However, as we take more measurements of more worlds across the solar system and improve our numerical models, we get closer to the development of a universal ‘soundboard’ for atmospheres which allows us to identify how the switches affect the ‘mix’ on each planet and moon. This work is also of high relevance for predicting extrasolar planet behaviour.
Ingo Mueller-Wodarg is Professor of Physics at Imperial College London where he studies the influence of factors such as the solar wind, magnetosphere and atmospheric waves on atmospheres – in particular the outer regions where they interact with outer space. In his inaugural lecture he will take you on a journey through the solar system, from Earth, Venus and Mars out towards Jupiter and Saturn with its moon Titan by presenting some key spacecraft observations that have challenged our understanding of their outer atmospheres, and the methods and tools that allow us to interpret such measurements.
