In the Planetary Modeling Group, we use a variety of modeling techniques to study planets near and far. We focus on the interaction between the interiors and atmospheres of rocky planets both in the Solar System and around other stars. We study the birth and differentiation of planets, the exotic lava worlds of the exoplanet population, but also questions about the environment of the early Earth and other potentially habitable planets and how those planets evolve due to geology, stellar influences, and life.
Scientists exploring space are bringing back insights about Earth’s deep past, its complicated relationship with life and our planet’s future.
A new study suggests a reason why exoplanets rarely grow larger than Neptune: the planet’s magma oceans begin to eat the sky.