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Methods for identifying exoplanets
Exoplanets
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Exoplanets, also known as extrasolars, are unique planets that are not in our solar system. In fact, around 1,800 of these planets have been discovered dating all the way back to 1992 when the first exoplanet was discovered. However, the first exoplanet discovered orbiting around a star was called 51 Pegasi B and was founded in 1995. There are many different kinds of exoplanets that range and vary greatly. Some examples of these exoplanets are gas giants, pulsar planets, hot jupiter, and many more. Exoplanets are difficult to find, but there are different methods that can be used to find exoplanets. Some of these methods are the Doppler spectroscopy, Telescopes, and looking at parent stars. Exoplanets give us hope that there could be a planet in the Universe that is similar to Earth and is able to support life. Exoplanets are unique and there is still a lot that we do not know about them.
Exoplanets have been around for a long time, but we only started discovering them in 1992. This exoplanet was orbiting around a pulsar. A few years later, in 1995, we discovered the first exoplanet that was orbiting around a star like our sun. This exoplanet was called 51 Pegasi B. 51 Pegasi B is hot jupiter that can get as hot as 1000 degrees celsius. The news of the exoplanets spread and the discovery of these mysterious planets were growing.
There are many different kinds of exoplanets ranging from size to the composition of the surface. Some examples of these exoplanets are gas giants, hot jupiters, exo earths, free floating planets, and super earths. Gas giants, the most common kind of exoplanet are similar to Saturn and Jupiter by the fact that there surface is consisted of Hydrogen and Helium. Not only is there surface similar to Sat...
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...er finding all of these exoplanets, scientists can’t confirm that they are actual habitable planets. Scientists have estimated that 10 to 20% of the stars in the universe contain a planet. One problem trying to find a planet with life is that if a planet was the same as Earth, it would be almost impossible to find it because it would be super small. Scientists keep on trying and they know that sooner or later, scientists will discover a habitable planet.
Exoplanets, also known as extrasolars, are very unique and they keep us curious. Scientists and astronomers know very little about exoplanets and there is a lot to be discovered. An example of this is if there are any other planets that support life or if earth is unique and the only planet that can be habitable. In conclusion, there are always going to be more exoplanets waiting to be discovered on the Universe.
The research area of detecting exoplanets, planets outside our own solar system, is a huge area of interest and funding. The importance of being able to detect these planets is they can give us information and an insight into planetary formation, to help the search for ”Earth- like” planets in the habitable zone, and of course the ever-present question of extraterrestrial life. So on order to attempt to gather information about these things we must be have solid detection techniques in place for exoplanets. A few of the important methods shall be discussed here, including the radial velocity method, transit method, direct imaging and gravitational microlensing among others .
Finding life in our solar system could potentially answer the questions humanity has been asking for thousands of years. Sarah Seager, a professor at MIT, mentioned some of these thought provoking questions, “why are we here?”. Why does our universe exist? How did Earth form and evolve? How and why did life originate and populate our planet?”
I’d first like to discuss the four closest planets to the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, also known as terrestrial planets. These planets are different from Jovian planets, mostly because of their solid surfaces. However, these are not the only explanations for the distinctions between the Jovian and Terrestrial planets. Terrestrial planets have few moons, no rings surrounding the planets, high densities, and usually slow rotations. These planets are special because of their heavy metal core, which explains their high densities. When it comes to topography, these planets are known for having valleys and craters, which make them different from the gaseous Jovian planets. The atmospheres of the four terrestrial planets range from very thick atmospheres to very thing atmospheres. Throughout this paper, I will go more in-depth into each of these planets and what makes each one of them
Neptune was discovered through a discrepancy in Uranus’s orbit. Uranus’s orbit was not moving how astronomers predicted it would. They could not find an elliptical orbit that fit Uranus’s trajectory. They therefore assumed that there had to be another planet that’s gravitational pull was effecting Uranus. Johann Galle was the first to find Neptune in 1846, even though many before him had mathematically predicted where this new planet would be. The planet was named Neptune and two astronomers who had predicted mathematically where it would be are credited with finding it not Galle.
Within our Solar System lies an abundance of planets, each with their own unique characteristics, including the Terrestrial planets of Venus, Earth, and Mars who vary in many aspects but, most importantly, their atmosphere.
Jupiter is a very interesting planet. It is very much different from our planet Earth. Its days are a lot shorter than and Earth day. Then the years though are very long. The giant, Jupiter, is named after and old Greek god. Jupiter actually has rings, though very little. It is one of my favorite planet’s.
With more and more planets being discovered everyday isn’t it a little narcissistic of us to believe that we are the only planet that can sustain life. With movies like Star Wars, and Star Trek the thought of extraterrestrials are becoming more mainstream. However there are still many people who don’t believe.
Although Pluto was discovered in 1930, limited information on the distant planet delayed a realistic understanding of its characteristics. Today Pluto remains the only planet that has not been visited by a spacecraft, yet an increasing amount of information is unfolding about this peculiar planet. The uniqueness of Pluto's orbit, rotational relationship with its satellite, spin axis, and light variations all give the planet a certain appeal.
It is without a doubt that the most fascinating thing about space is the possibility of life elsewhere beside Earth. It is estimated that the Milky Way Galaxy itself contains about 300 billion stars. Each star contains planets and some planets might even have moons. With these findings, the question is no longer whether life exists elsewhere. The probability that Earth is the only place where life exists in the universe is far too slim. NASA has identified many planets that have similar conditions to Earth but most of these planets are hundreds of light years away so traveling there to find out if there’s any living organism is not easy. Luckily, scientific evidences have pointed out that one of the moons of Jupiter, Europa, could be one of the places where life can exist. If the theories proposed by astronomers about Europa are true, life on Europa might not even be entirely different than life near the bottom of Earth’s oceans.
Stars are luminous spheres that have been around longer than humans. In fact, it has been said that, “We are a way for the universe to know itself. Some part of our being knows this is where we came from. We long to return. And we can, because the cosmos is also within us. We're made of star stuff.” [1] Just like any other animate object, stars also go through a life cycle. They grow up, live their life, and slowly but surely die out. Stars can live for billions and even trillions of years. The life span of a star depends on how fast or how slow they use up and burn their nuclear fuel. The size of the star also determines the longevity.
Studies shows that extraterrestrial life can come from dying stars. Dying stars can support planets with life. This study comes from a new theory study of earth orbiting white dwarf stars. When a star dies, it puffs off its outer layers, leaving behind a hot core called a white dwarf. A white dwarf air contains water vapor, or even signatures of life, such as oxygen. Abbie Lo...
The gas giants are a collection of planets in our solar system. As can be told from their name, they are mostly composed of differing mixtures of gases and ices. The gas and ice composition in question varies among the different planets. This mix of gases gives much of the planets an extremely thick atmosphere. At the very center of a gas giant is a core of liquid heavy metals. The gas giants are also called Jovian planets, taken from the largest planet in our solar system: Jupiter. Due to the fact the the majority of a gas giant planet is gas, the planet isn’t very dense and therefore, very large as a result. In fact, all of the gas giants are vastly larger than all of the terrestrial planets. Another common factor of the gas giants are their large amount of moons. The terrestrial planet, Mars, has the largest amount of moons, 2. The amount of moons of Mars is dwarfed in comparison to Saturn’s and Jupiter’s moo...
The history of the planet's discovery is the first we have of its kind; Uranus was the first planet to be discovered with a telescope. The circumstances surrounding the discovery of the object are befitting of the odd planet. The earliest recorded sighting of Uranus was in 1690 by John Flamsteed, but the object was catalogued as another star. On March 13, 1781 Uranus was sighted again by amateur astronomer William Herschel and thought to be a comet or nebulous star. In 1784, Jean-Dominique Cassini, director of the Paris Observatory and prominent professional astronomer, made the following comment:
One of the most common unanswered questions scientists find themselves asking is "Is there life on other planets?" Since the first famously documented UFO sighting in 1947, the idea of extra-terrestrial life has been debated almost non-stop. The subject has inspired many TV programs, such as The X-Files, and films (Mars Attacks, Independence Day, and the Men in Black films to name but a few). Scientists have come up with many new ideas and ways of trying to either prove or disprove the existence of life elsewhere.
Ever since the beginning of time there have been stars. Not only stars in the sky, but moons, planets, and even galaxies! Astronomy is defined as the branch of science that deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole. In other words it is the study of space, planets, and stars. Throughout the ages, many people have used astronomy to help them learn about the universe, our own planet, and even make predictions about life itself. Understanding astronomy means understanding where it originated, the different groups/cultures that used it, and modern purposes of the science of the stars.