We will be starting the new year with a Panel Discussion on Exoplanets, taking place on Wednesday, January 14th, at McGill University (Leacock 26). We will welcome Jonathan Gagné, Professor at the Université de Montréal, and Casey Brinkman, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Trottier Space Institute. They will give two complementary talks: one focusing on free-floating planets and their diverse and complex atmospheres, and the other exploring how exoplanets mirror the compositions of their host stars.
The two talks will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A session, offering plenty of time for discussion, questions, and exchanges on the current state of exoplanet research and recent breakthroughs.
Here is a preview of the talks:
What we know about Free-floating "planets" in our Neighborhood of the Galaxy - Jonathan Gagné
I will present the current state of our knowledge about isolated objects freely floating around our galactic neighborhood. These intriguing objects are sometimes called free-floating “planets”, and they have masses only a few times above that of Jupiter with complex, cloudy atmospheres like the gas giants of the Solar System. The recent discovery of these objects is opening the doors to a deep characterization of many atmospheres with extremely diversified properties - in terms of chemical composition, temperature, pressure, surface gravity, cloud structure and composition. Because these objects are not orbiting around a star, we can study their atmospheres in detail without our instruments getting blinded by the light from the star.
We are All Made of Star Stuff: How Exoplanets Mirror Stellar Compositions - Casey Brinkman
The lives and deaths of stars enable the universe to build planets, moons, and creatures like us! The elements that fuse during a star's lifetime and during supernova become the nebular material from which future star and planetary systems are formed. In our solar system, we know that the Earth, Venus, and Mars mirror the composition of the Sun very closely---but what about the hundreds of rocky planets we've discovered throughout the galaxy? Let's explore the diversity of Earth sized planets--from their interiors to atmospheric compositions--and how they have formed and evolved around their host star!
📅 Date: Wednesday, January 14th, 2026
🕖 Time: 7:00 – 8:30 PM
📍 Location: Leacock 26 Room, Leacock Building (855 Sherbrooke St W, Montréal)
As always, the event is free and open to everyone. We look forward to seeing you there!
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