Sarah Hörst head shot

Sarah Hörst

Planetary Scientist, Johns Hopkins University

Dr. Hörst is a Planetary Scientist at Johns Hopkins University. Previously, she worked with Dr. Roger Yelle at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, where she received her Ph.D. in 2011.

Her primary research interest is atmospheric chemistry. In particular, the complex organic chemistry occurring in the atmosphere of Titan. She also has interest in complex organics elsewhere in the solar system (and the universe!), and whether they are produced in an atmosphere or on a surface.

Latest Articles

Clouds and haze and dust, oh my!

What types of aerosols do we find in the atmospheres around the Solar System, and why does what we call them—clouds vs. haze vs. dust—matter? Sarah Hörst explains.

What in the world(s) are tholins?

The question “why is Pluto red” has been answered with a word that most people have never heard of and perhaps even fewer people can actually define—“tholins”.

Probing Titan's Atmosphere

By now I hope that everyone has seen some of the spectacular images of the Saturn system (and especially Titan!) from the Cassini-Huygens mission. However, the measurements that often make my heart race are taken by instruments that reveal Titan in ways that our eyes cannot see.

Latest Planetary Radio Appearances

Dunes, Walnut Shells, Alien Impostors and Other Worlds: A Visit with Sarah Hörst

A very special, extended conversation with Johns Hopkins University planetary scientist Sarah Hörst is capped by a tour of her fascinating lab. That’s where Sarah and her team simulate decidedly un-Earthlike atmospheres and more. Emily Lakdawalla has returned from this year’s Lunar and Planetary Science Conference with news from around the solar system. Caffeine! It’s on Saturn’s moon Titan AND in the espresso made on the International Space Station! More about the latter in What’s Up.