Abstract:  Since the 1990s, astronomers have discovered thousands of planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy, but most of these “exoplanets” are known only by their tell-tale effects on their sun’s light. A precious handful of these alien worlds, however, have been photographed using state-of-the-art equipment attached to the world’s largest telescopes, giving astronomers a new window into these planets’ atmospheres and origins. UCSC Professors Rebecca Jensen-Clem and Philip Hinz will discuss the remarkable technologies allowing astronomers to “see” other worlds – and, to study the supermassive black hole at our galaxy’s center.