* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Exoplanets - Mid-Pacific Institute
Tropical year wikipedia , lookup
Perseus (constellation) wikipedia , lookup
Space Interferometry Mission wikipedia , lookup
History of astronomy wikipedia , lookup
Fermi paradox wikipedia , lookup
Cygnus (constellation) wikipedia , lookup
Astronomical unit wikipedia , lookup
Planets beyond Neptune wikipedia , lookup
Nebular hypothesis wikipedia , lookup
Spitzer Space Telescope wikipedia , lookup
Circumstellar habitable zone wikipedia , lookup
Geocentric model wikipedia , lookup
IAU definition of planet wikipedia , lookup
Star formation wikipedia , lookup
Kepler (spacecraft) wikipedia , lookup
Astronomical naming conventions wikipedia , lookup
Solar System wikipedia , lookup
Corvus (constellation) wikipedia , lookup
Definition of planet wikipedia , lookup
Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems wikipedia , lookup
History of Solar System formation and evolution hypotheses wikipedia , lookup
Late Heavy Bombardment wikipedia , lookup
Rare Earth hypothesis wikipedia , lookup
Formation and evolution of the Solar System wikipedia , lookup
Comparative planetary science wikipedia , lookup
Astrobiology wikipedia , lookup
Aquarius (constellation) wikipedia , lookup
Exoplanetology wikipedia , lookup
Planetary habitability wikipedia , lookup
EXOPLANETS Blayne Chang Aaron Fujioka Pd. 3 Exoplanets “Extra-solar” A planet that orbits a star other than our sun Therefore is beyond the solar system with Earth First one was detected in 1995 Exoplanets Most exoplanets discovered are gas giants like Jupiter Orbits are much closer to their stars than Jupiter is to the sun Detection Methods Doppler Method Variations in star’s radial velocity can be detected from displacements in the star’s spectral lines Most productive method Applicable to stars with a wide range of characteristics Detection Methods cont. • Transit method • If a planet crosses in front of its parent star’s disk, then the observed brightness of the star drops by a small amount • The amount as to how much the star dims depends on the size of the planet among others • Second most productive method Detection of Exoplanets European Space Agency launched the COROT probe in 2006 NASA launched the Kepler mission in 2009 They plan to detect exoplanets as they pass in front of their parent stars Exoplanets The oldest one discovered so far is thought to be 13 billions years old Twice the age of Earth Existence challenges accepted theories of planet formation Undermines assumptions about solar system formation Exoplanets Dissimilarity between ours and other solar systems may be due to limitations of current methods and technologies Planets smaller than gas giants cannot be reliably detected Similar to Earth Spherical like the Earth due to gravitational force. Like the Earth, exoplanets do not shine. Exoplanets are visible because they reflect the light from their host stars as planets are visible because they are illuminated by the sun. facts The first exoplanet was discovered in 1992. We currently know of more than 250 exoplanets. Search missions may be able to detect liquid water and find “Earth” like planets or planets that reside in the habitable zone. YOUTUBE VIDEO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo XCWRel_Io Works Cited "Exoplanets." Science Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. <http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID= WE40&SID=5&iPin=SVR0959&SingleRecord=True >. Pasachoff, Jay M. "Solar system." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. PlanetQuest: Exoplanet Exploration. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/>.