Exoplanet Essay
1.0 Introduction
An extrasolar planet also known as exoplanet is any planet that orbits a star not within our solar system. The first real discovery of an exoplanet was made in 1995 by the Swiss team of Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz of Geneva. The planet that they discovered was at least half the mass of Jupiter and smaller in size. NASA has confirmed 1746 exoplanets exist and there is surely more to be discovered. The Kepler mission was too find and statistically characterizes planets outside of our solar system. This report will explain the ways that scientists and astronomers detect exoplanets, some of the most ground breaking discoveries in regards to exoplanets, and the severity of the habitable zone in regards to life being possible on a foreign planet.
2.0 Why does the type of star the planets are orbiting matter and what is the habitable zone? M-dwarf stars are the most common stars in the universe that we currently know of. However the habitable zone around these stars is very narrow. The habitable zone of a planet depends on its distance from the star that it orbits and the energy being emitted from said star. …show more content…
For example Red dwarf stars are cooler than the sun which means planets have to orbit closer to them to have a temperature suitable for liquid to exist. The problem with having a planet orbiting closely to this type of star is that Red dwarfs are known to be subject to stellar eruptions and flares which can bathe the planets surface in X-rays or ultra violet radiation. This makes the chances of life on these types of planets unlikely. In January 2011 NASA announced their discovery of the smallest exoplanet to date, the “Kepler 10-B”; however, this planet also orbits to close to its star to support life. Almost all exoplanets discovered orbit much closer to their stars than earth does to the sun and as a result are to close to their stars to be categorized in the habitable
1.0 Introduction
An extrasolar planet also known as exoplanet is any planet that orbits a star not within our solar system. The first real discovery of an exoplanet was made in 1995 by the Swiss team of Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz of Geneva. The planet that they discovered was at least half the mass of Jupiter and smaller in size. NASA has confirmed 1746 exoplanets exist and there is surely more to be discovered. The Kepler mission was too find and statistically characterizes planets outside of our solar system. This report will explain the ways that scientists and astronomers detect exoplanets, some of the most ground breaking discoveries in regards to exoplanets, and the severity of the habitable zone in regards to life being possible on a foreign planet.
2.0 Why does the type of star the planets are orbiting matter and what is the habitable zone? M-dwarf stars are the most common stars in the universe that we currently know of. However the habitable zone around these stars is very narrow. The habitable zone of a planet depends on its distance from the star that it orbits and the energy being emitted from said star. …show more content…
For example Red dwarf stars are cooler than the sun which means planets have to orbit closer to them to have a temperature suitable for liquid to exist. The problem with having a planet orbiting closely to this type of star is that Red dwarfs are known to be subject to stellar eruptions and flares which can bathe the planets surface in X-rays or ultra violet radiation. This makes the chances of life on these types of planets unlikely. In January 2011 NASA announced their discovery of the smallest exoplanet to date, the “Kepler 10-B”; however, this planet also orbits to close to its star to support life. Almost all exoplanets discovered orbit much closer to their stars than earth does to the sun and as a result are to close to their stars to be categorized in the habitable