Pluto revealed by the New Horizons spacecraft... and numerical modeling

François Forget (Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Paris) — March 2

Abstract :
On July, 14, 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft flew by the planetary system composed of Pluto, Charon and four small satellites. It revealed a complex and magnificent world sculpted by active nitrogen and methane glaciers, surrounded by an active atmosphere filled with bluish hazes. I will tell the story of the exploration of Pluto and explain how the processes that have shaped Pluto can be explained using numerical models.

Biography :
François Forget is a senior CNRS researcher at Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL) in the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD) in Paris. His research is primarily focused on the development of climate models for other planets. He is also involved in space missions (e.g. New Horizons, EXOMARS, Venus Express, …), instrumentation, and observation analysis. François wrote a popular science book, “Planet Mars : Story of Another World”, translated in several languages. François was awarded the bronze medal of CNRS in 2001 and the David Bates Medal of the European Geosciences Union in 2014.

You can also watch this video on savoirs.ens.fr or YouTube