Search for Extra-Solar Planets

Explains how astronomers are able to detect extrasolar planets and some findings from the TrES project and the promise of the Kepler telescope. Narrated and produced by Sanjana Sharma.

This tour has a nice animation sequence that shows how an orbiting planet that moves in front of its star can be detected as a temporary but periodic dimming of the light that comes from the star.

Credits

David Charbonneau, Alyssa Goodman, Sanjana Sharma, Gus Muench, CFA

The full version of this tour can be found in the desktop version of WorldWide Telescope or the full version of this tour can be downloaded here (by right-clicking) and viewed in the desktop version of WorldWide Telescope.

search_for_exoplanets.wtt3.7 MB