Space Topics: Extrasolar Planets
The Planetary Society and the Search
Almost since it was founded in 1980, The Planetary Society has been there
for the search for other worlds. As early as 1982 the Society funded a search
for extrasolar planets by George Gatewood and David C. Black. Since 2001 the
Society has supported the refurbishing of the 1.3 meter telescope on Kitt
Peak in Arizona. Once completed, the telescope will be an automated remotely
operated observatory dedicated to the photometric search for extrasolar planets.
Within the past year, the Society has teamed with Geoff Marcy of U.C. Berkeley,
whose team has been responsible for the discovery of more than half of the
planets known to orbit distant stars. Together with Marcy’s team, the
Society is producing a complete catalogue of extrasolar planets, which will
include known information and will be updated regularly.
Are there other worlds like ours out there in the vastness of space? Despite
the enormous advances made in the past few years, we do not yet know the answer.
True to its promise, The Planetary Society is making sure that we never stop
asking.
Planet orbiting Gliese 436
An artist's depiction of a Neptune-sized planet orbiting red dwarf
Gliese 436. Credit: NASA/JPL |
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