The Physics and Chemistry of Building Planets: Recent Advances and Future Prospects

The Gordon Conference on Origins of Solar Systems brings together a diverse group of scientists to discuss research at the frontier of understanding how planets and planetary systems form. Invited speakers from the fields of astronomy, astrophysics, cosmochemistry, planetary science, and geochemistry will present their latest findings. Discussions will also focus on the promise of new laboratory techniques, astronomical facilities, and spacecraft missions, including ALMA, Herschel, and HST, to make transformational discoveries that will have lasting impact on the field over the next decade. Particular topics of discussion will include: what meteorites tell us about the birth environment of our Solar System and planetary building blocks, how asteroids and icy bodies record the accretion epoch of the Solar System history, new observational and theoretical constraints on gas and dust in protoplanetary and debris disk systems, and how the properties of exoplanets are determined and what they tell us about how those planets formed.

The 2015 meeting will continue the tradition of past meetings by promoting cross-disciplinary conversations, and invites all attendees to present posters on their latest work. Support for early career researchers will be available.