The Exoplanet Laboratory
I am a Professor in the Department of Astronomy at Harvard University and an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. My research goals are to detect and characterize planets orbiting other stars. These worlds are known as exoplanets. I am fascinated by planets in edge-on orbits, such that the planet periodically passes in front of its star. These systems offer unparalleled opportunities to determine the properties of the planet and its atmosphere. I am currently pursuing the following four investigations:
Hunting for habitable super-Earths orbiting nearby small stars
Surveying for Earth-like planets orbiting Sun-like stars
Characterizing known exoplanets and the Earth as an exoplanet
Determining their chemistry, dynamics, and temperatures.
I have just returned from a delightful sabbatical visiting colleagues at the Geneva Observatory and in Spring 2015 I will be teaching Astronomy 189, a graduate / upper division undergraduate course on Exoplanets.
Kepler Team Members: Access the KeplerPapers Wiki here!
I also serve on the AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy and I am a contributing blogger for Women in Astronomy.
My biography, CV, a list of publications, and some photos are also available.
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street MS-16, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
dcharbonneau <at> cfa.harvard.edu Office: 617 496 6515 Fax: 617 495 7049
David Charbonneau, Harvard University
