The exoplanet explosion

The Space Review ^ | 01/11/2010 | Jeff Foust

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Fifteen years ago, there were virtually no known planets beyond the (then nine) planets in our own solar system: just a few found by chance orbiting a pulsar. Then, in late 1995 and 1996, came the initial discovery of planets orbiting main sequence stars like the Sun. That slow trickle of discoveries became a steady stream as astronomers refined their instruments and techniques, as well as increased both the number of stars studied and their period of time observed. By the beginning of 2010 astronomers reported finding over 400 such extrasolar planets, or exoplanets.

That steady stream of discoveries, though, could become a torrent in the next few years. Last year NASA launched the Kepler spacecraft on a mission to look for extrasolar planets in one region of the sky. Now, with the first exoplanet discoveries by Kepler announced, and with the promise of many more to come, astronomers hope that it and other search efforts will help them answer a more fundamental question: how many planets like the Earth exist in our galaxy.

Kepler’s worlds The 215th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), held last week in Washington, DC, was something of a coming out party for Kepler. Project scientists used the meeting to announce the first scientific results from the mission, including the first exoplanets detected by the spacecraft, and their expectations for the future of the mission.

[Neil E. Wright]

BUMP for later reading

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks sonofstrangelove. Yes Kevin, I know, to be consistent, I shouldn't ping this one. But hey, I'm just trying to fit in on FR. ;')

· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · subscribe ·

Google news searches: exoplanet · exosolar · extrasolar ·

[GraceG]

It would be nice, really nice if someone could invent Warp drive and allow political refugees to leave this increasingly socialist world.

Either that or send all of the reds to Ceti Alpha V.

[Lakeshark]

It would be better if we could make up a story about a socialist paradise on another planet, then offer to send all socialist adherents there free!

[GraceG]

>> It would be better if we could make up a story about a socialist paradise on another planet, then offer to send all socialist adherents there free! <<

Did you hear they have free health care on Pluto, see what they do is use cryogenic preservation to preserve your body for all diseases until they get around to curing them!!!