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Category Archives: Exoplanets
Transiting Extrasolar Planets
A method for detecting planets beyond our solar system.
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Color in the Universe
The pale blue dot is Earth, but what if Earth is the only planet that gives off that specific color? While other exoplanets can and have mimicked the pale blue color, a broader portion of Earth’s overall spectrum shows a rather subtle signature that can only be attributed to life. Earth’s blue color comes from the…
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Posted in Class, Exoplanets
Tagged astro2110, blog9, spectroscopy, telescopes
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Living the fast life: Kepler-70b
The Kepler spacecraft (which was feared lost earlier this week) has discovered a veritable treasure trove of exoplanets over its seven year mission. Some of these planets may even be habitable. Kepler-70b is decidedly not one of them. Kepler-70b is the closer of two terrestrial planets to KOI-55, a subdwarf star which was once a red giant. […]
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Posted in Exoplanets
Tagged astro2110, blog8, Kepler, Uncategorized
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Detection of Habitable Planets
We talked much in class about different methods of discovering extrasolar planets, and Dr. G pointed out to us that the only reason people bother looking for extrasolar planets is to try and find life outside of our solar system. To do this, scientists have to narrow down the list of extrasolar planets into a […]
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Detection of Habitable Planets
We talked much in class about different methods of discovering extrasolar planets, and Dr. G pointed out to us that the only reason people bother looking for extrasolar planets is to try and find life outside of our solar system. To do this, scientists have to narrow down the list of extrasolar planets into a […] Continue reading
Hot Jupiters and Why They Don’t Wreck our Model of Planetary Formation
Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is located exactly where astrophysicists and planetary-formation theorists believe that it should be. Its size indicates that it should be located around the middle of the Solar System, where it was able to pick up rock, ice, and a lot of gases (such as hydrogen and helium) […]
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Posted in Exoplanets
Tagged astro2110, blog7, HotJupiter, Uncategorized
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A Lonely Planet Wandering Through Space
Astronomers have recently announced the discovery of a planet without a sun. Known as PSO J318.5-22, the planet is a gas giant six times the mass of Jupiter, nowhere near large enough to be a Brown Dwarf. In the past rouge planets or “planetary-mass objects” have been discovered but their size was large enough that […]
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Posted in Exoplanets, Space Travel, Universe
Tagged astro2110, blog7, exoplanet
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Doppler vs. Astrometric: Find the Planet
Currently, it’s quite difficult to discover new planets simply by direct observation. This is because the high interference of light caused by the planets’ respective stars makes it almost impossible to detect the light reflected off of planets. However, there are two indirect planet detection methods: Doppler and astrometric. The astrometric method relies on measuring […]
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Posted in Exoplanets, Observables, Physics, Stars
Tagged astro2110, blog7
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Exoplanet HD 189733b
Around 63 light years away form Earth sits the exoplanet HD 189733b. The planet has a mass of 1.13 Jupiter masses and orbits its star closer than Mercury orbits the Sun. Seen from afar, this planet is blue in color and has bands of white haze in its atmosphere that resemble clouds. Though HD 189733b […]
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Posted in Exoplanets
Tagged Alien Life, astro2110, blog7, Uncategorized
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A better understanding of our Universe… and maybe aliens
captain’s blog, Stardate 69734.8 In class, we’ve been talking a lot about extrasolar planets, that is, planets that have too many suns. But actually, extrasolar planets, or exoplanets are planets that exist outside our Solar System. Exoplanets are fascinating to learn about because, as much as I love our Solar System, it’s good to get away from […]
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Posted in Aliens, Exoplanets
Tagged astro2110, blog7
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