Nicolas Cowan

I study the atmospheres of extrasolar planets (planets orbiting stars other than the Sun) using space telescopes and novel remote sensing methods. My goal is to empirically measure their atmospheric reflectiveness (clouds), infrared opacity (greenhouse gases), and heat transport (winds). These are the dominant factors that determine the climate on all planets, including Earth. In order to make these measurements, I obtain and analyze observations from telescopes on the ground and in space. Often, this analysis involves constructing temperature and surface maps of the exoplanets (“exo-cartography”)