Colloquium on May. 14, 2026

Observational Planet Formation

Speaker: Ruobing Dong (KIAA-PKU)

Venue: SWIFAR Building 2111

Time: 16:00 PM, Thursday, May. 14, 2026

Abstract:

It is hard to see a plane cruising at 10 km, as the plane is tiny and faint in the sky. But, if we can see the contrail trailing behind the plane, we know where the plane is. Now, astronomers are applying the same principle to study how planets form by detecting and characterizing the structures that baby planets produce in their birth cradles — protoplanetary disks. This is a new field largely driven by discoveries made by some of the largest and most advanced telescopes ever built. I will introduce the current status of the field and highlight some of the latest developments as well as unsolved problems.