Astronomers put in a lot of effort to find planets around other stars, but what do we do after we find them? In this class, we'll discuss the physical characteristics of alien worlds, including their formation, composition, and atmospheres. We'll also talk about where and how we're most likely to find Earth 2.0.

What do train whistles have to do with finding planets around other stars? Where should we make our first stop on our quest to colonize the galaxy? How did we go from 0 to over 1500 confirmed exoplanets in just 20 years? We’ll answer these questions and more as we explore the detection and characterization of extrasolar planets!