Blayne ChangAaron FujiokaPd. 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=YoXCWRel_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/>.