Exoplanets

An Introduction to Planetary Bodies

Outside Our Solar System

Mike Swanson
May 2003

"With 10 to the 11th stars in our galaxy and 10 to the 9th other
galaxies, there are at least 10 to the 20th stars in the universe.
Most of them may be accompanied by solar systems. If there
are 10 to the 20th solar systems in the universe, and the
universe is 10 to the 10th years old -- and if, further, solar
systems have formed roughly uniformly in time -- then one
solar system is formed every 10 to the negative 10 yr = 3 x 10
to the negative 3 seconds. On the average, a million solar
systems are formed in the universe each hour."
Carl Sagan and I.S. Shklovskii

Exoplanet Basics
The existence of planets
outside our solar system has
been widely accepted by
most astronomers for
decades, but until recently no
direct evidence existed.
Initial (unsuccessful)
attempts involved detection
of a stars wobble by directly
measuring the position of
nearby stars in relation to
more distant stationary
stars.
The first successful
detections were based on
Doppler shifts.

In 1995, the first

confirmed exoplanet was
detected around the star 51
Pegasi.
More than 100 exoplanets
have been discovered as of
early 2003, most by
Doppler-shift, the rest by
dimming of the parent star as
the planet transits in front.
One recent estimate - 30
billion planets in our galaxy
alone!

Detection by Doppler Shift

As a planet circles its star, the star wobbles due to the
gravitational tug of the planet.
The wobble is greater for large planets, lesser for small
planets.
This wobble shifts the light coming from the star back and
forth in wavelength (frequency) like the sound of the horn of
a passing car the Doppler Effect.
Indirect detection method requires several orbits of the
planet to detect the pattern.
Not possible to determine the precise mass of the planet due
to the possible variations in the orbital plane.

Detection by Transit

Planet detected by the dimming of light from the star as the planet crosses
in front of (transits) the star.
Similar effect caused by transit of smaller companion star so only very
slight dimming indicates a planet.
Indirect detection method requires several orbits of the planet to detect
the pattern.
Combined with Doppler effect to determine the mass of the planet. High
accuracy since the planet, its star and Earth are directly in line.
Large amateur telescopes can actually measure the dips in luminosity of
the stars/planets already discovered some efforts underway by amateurs
to discover new exoplanets.
Future space-based telescopes will attempt to detect small, Earth-like
planets by transit method:
NASAs Kepler Mission - approved for 2006
ESAs Eddington Mission around 2008

Direct Visual Detection

Not yet successful none of our current instruments are
capable of such detection.
The light from the star overwhelms the reflected light from the
planet.
Telescopes with tiny opaque dots in the optics could block the
light from the parent star.
Arrays of multiple space telescopes can also provide the
resolution required without blocking light from the parent star.
Future space-based telescopes will attempt to make direct
visual observations of exoplanets:
NASAs Terrestrial Planet Finder Mission
ESAs Darwin Mission

Free-floating Exoplanets

Planetary mass objects (PMOs) that are not orbiting stars.

Detected with large telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope in infrared
light (radiated heat).
Very speculative at this point since determining their mass depends upon
knowing their age they might be very old brown dwarves (the smallest
star-like objects) cooled down to the infrared or they might appear cooler
due to intervening gas or dust.
Latest techniques combine studies of the temperature as well as the
spectrum of radiation coming from the suspected PMO to determine how
the gravity of the PMO is affecting atoms in its atmosphere.
No agreement on how they might form as they arent massive enough to
condense on their own from gas and dust.
Perhaps they form in a normal star system and are flung out of orbit
afterwards.

Detecting the Signature of Life

Current attempts based on studying the spectrum of light
coming from stars when a planet transits.
By studying spectrum, we can detect the existence of specific
atoms and molecules.
Does not guarantee life exists, just that some of the building
blocks exist.
Future direct imaging (space-based telescopes) will be able to
detect the spectrum produced by the light reflecting from an
exoplanet.

For More Information

The Search for the Extrasolar
Planets (Arizona State Univ.) -

http://www.public.asu.edu/~sciref/
exoplnt.htm

The California and Carnegie

Planet Search http://exoplanets.org/

The STARE (STellar

Astrophysics & Research on
Exoplanets) Project http://www.hao.ucar.edu/public/
research/stare/

The Extrasolar Planets

Encyclopaedia http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/planets/

NASAs Kepler Mission http://www.kepler.arc.nasa.gov/

European Space Agencys

Eddington Mission http://sci.esa.int/home/eddington

NASAs Terrestrial Planet

Finder Mission http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/TPF/
tpf_index.html

European Space Agencys

Darwin Mission http://sci.esa.int/home/darwin

Clear Skies!