What is your field of interest?

I’m interested in planets around other stars than the Sun, so-called exoplanets. Most stars out there have planets around them, just like the Sun does. However, the planets are often hard to find, since they are quite small and quite faint, compared to stars. My work is partly about developing ways to detect exoplanets, partly about actually detecting them, and partly about figuring out what they’re like, based on our observations.

Markus Janson. Image: Alexis Brandeker

Could you please describe your current project in simple terms?

One of my projects is about studying how the planets are affected by the properties of their parent stars. Stars come in different types - for example, some are small and relatively cool, while others are large and really hot. Different types of stars seem to host different kinds of planets. By studying the different classes of planets around the different types of stars, we can learn more about how planets form, and we can also get a better handle on which kinds of stars are most likely to host planets that are suitable for life.

What are the expectations and/or challenges for the future?

A major goal in my research field is to study Earth-like planets with habitable conditions on their surfaces. That’s a really difficult task, because of how small Earth-like planets are. However, several future telescopes and cameras are being developed that are expected to be able to perform those kinds of studies. I’m involved in several of those developments.

What part of your research do you find the most exciting?

Finding planets and the possibility of finding life are the most exciting aspects of my research, I think. Exoplanet research is basically modern-day exploration - finding new worlds, and finding out as much as we can about them.

Do you have any advice for prospect astronomers that are interested in your field of expertise?

Learn some physics and programming. Both are very useful tools for any astronomer, and as an added bonus, they are very useful skills for lots of other types of jobs too!

Illustration of how to obtain a spectrum from an exoplanet and its star