Exoplanets

Key words
Comparison of solar systems
astrometry neutron star
Doppler method orbit
exoplanet planet
gas giant pulsar
gravitational pulsar timing
lensing spectral line
main sequence star
millisecond transit method
pulsar

Earth’s solar system:

Exoplanet gas giants distant
● Exoplanet means “extra-solar planet.” from the Sun
● An extra-solar planet is a planet in
orbit around a star other than the Sun.

Finding exoplanets
● More than 130 exoplanets have been
confirmed to date.
● None can be observed directly with
current technology: they are too dim
and distant.
● The first exoplanets were discovered
in 1992. Three planets were detected
in orbit around the millisecond pulsar
PSR B 1257+12 at a distance of about
2,630 light years from Earth.
● Pulsar timing is the detection of
irregularities in the pulse periods of
pulsars caused by the gravitation
effects of planets orbiting them. The
first exoplanets were found using this
method.
● Astrometery is the measurement of
irregularities in the proper motion of Newly-discovered
stars caused by orbiting planets. solar systems: gas
Current technologies are not sensitive giants much closer to
enough to make this method reliable. their stars
● Doppler method is the measurement
of irregularities in a star’s spectral lines
caused by orbiting planets. It is best at
locating close-orbit planets.
● Gravitational lensing is the detection Exoplanet observations
of the lensing effect of a star and its
● The oldest exoplanet so far discovered is ● This also undermines assumptions about
planets on light from a distant star in
thought to be about 13 billion years old. solar system formation.
the background. It relies on the
That is more than twice the age of Earth ● The observed dissimilarity between other
correct alignment of Earth with the
and only about one billion years younger solar systems and our own may be due to
target star and the distant star.
than the universe. the limitations of current methods of
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● Transit method is the detection of a

● Its existence challenges accepted theories detection since planets smaller than gas
planet’s shadow when it passes in
of planet formation. giants cannot yet be reliably detected.
front of a star. It also relies on the
● Most of the exoplanets discovered so far
correct alignment of Earth, star, and
are gas giants like Jupiter, but have orbits
planet.
much closer to their stars than Jupiter’s is
to the Sun.