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Explore cutting-edge observational techniques for discovering and characterizing massive exoplanets and brown dwarfs in this astrophysics colloquium lecture. Learn how the combination of astrometry, radial velocity measurements, and direct imaging enables astronomers to determine both the masses and atmospheric properties of distant worlds. Discover how recent astrometric measurements from the Gaia satellite, combined with decades-old Hipparcos data, reveal stellar reflex motions that indicate the gravitational influence of unseen planets and brown dwarfs on their host stars. Examine groundbreaking discoveries including the first images of the sub-300K planet eps Indi b, the detection of the 3 Jupiter mass planet AF Lep b on a Saturn-like orbit, and the revelation that the first imaged brown dwarf, Gl 229B, is actually a binary system. Understand how these observational advances provide crucial data on masses, orbits, and atmospheric spectra that help build a comprehensive physical understanding of exoplanets and brown dwarfs while connecting these findings to theories of planet formation processes.
