Cloudy with a chance of aliens

In this talk we will explore what goes on every day above our heads in those white/grey/black clouds with which we’re all too familiar. We will discuss how aircraft are specially modified to obtain direct measurements of the water droplets that form the clouds, and the processes that cause a cloud to produce rain, snow or hail. We will show some of the weird and wonderful things that they observe, before discussing how this information is being used to improve our understanding of the atmosphere, weather forecasts and climate projections.

In the last few years astronomers have discovered thousands of new planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy. These “exoplanets” range from tiny barren rocks, to enormous cold suns, ten times the size of Jupiter. We will discuss how these planets are found, how many there might be (hint: see title), and what can be learnt of their climate from the limited observations we can make from Earth. What are the chances that life exists beyond the surface of Earth? And how can we tell if a distant planet harbours life?