"The first confirmation of the detection occurred in 1992."
Planets that orbit stars outside of the solar system. Topics include the detection and characterization of exoplanets, their formation and evolution, and the potential for habitability and the existence of life.
Planetary Formation: The study of how planets form from a protoplanetary disk around a star.
Exoplanet Detection Methods: The techniques used to detect exoplanets, including radial velocity method, transit method, microlensing, and direct imaging.
Exoplanet Atmospheres: The composition and structure of exoplanet atmospheres, which can provide insight into planetary formation and habitability.
Habitable Zones: The region around a star where an exoplanet could have the right conditions for liquid water to exist on its surface.
Exoplanet Migration: The movement of exoplanets in their orbits, which can affect their eventual location and properties.
Exoplanet Characteristics: The physical and chemical properties of exoplanets, such as mass, radius, density, and temperature.
Exoplanet Habitability: The study of whether an exoplanet could support life as we know it, including factors such as a stable atmosphere and appropriate planetary composition.
Astrobiology: The scientific study of life beyond Earth, including the search for microbial life on other planets and the potential for intelligent extraterrestrial life.
Stellar Properties: The characteristics of stars, including mass, temperature, and chemical composition, which can affect the properties of orbiting exoplanets.
Exoplanet Data Analysis: The methods used to analyze exoplanet data, including statistical techniques and machine learning algorithms.
Super-Earth: These are rocky planets with masses greater than Earth but less than Neptune.
Gas Giants: These planets are similar to Jupiter and Saturn, with gaseous atmospheres, and are generally much larger than Earth.
Hot Jupiters: These are gas giants that orbit very close to their stars, with surface temperatures that can reach thousands of degrees Celsius.
Mini-Neptunes: These are planets that have masses similar to Neptune but are smaller in size.
Earth-like: These are planets that have similar characteristics to Earth, such as rocky composition and the potential for liquid water on their surfaces.
Habitable: These are planets that could support life as we know it, with the right conditions for liquid water and an atmosphere that can protect from harmful radiation.
Rogue: These are planets that have been ejected from their star systems and are floating freely in space.
Pulsar: These are planets that orbit pulsars, which are rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit intense radiation.
Tatooine-like: These are planets that orbit binary star systems, like the famous planet from Star Wars.
Ocean worlds: These are planets with deep oceans that cover their entire surface, like Enceladus and Europa in our solar system.
"As of 1 September 2023, there are 5,506 confirmed exoplanets."
"with 878 systems having more than one planet."
"The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is expected to discover more exoplanets, and also much more about exoplanets, including composition, environmental conditions, and potential for life."
"Transit photometry and Doppler spectroscopy have found the most."
"85% of the exoplanets detected are inside the tidal locking zone."
"About 1 in 5 Sun-like stars have an 'Earth-sized' planet in the habitable zone."
"...it can be hypothesized that there are 11 billion potentially habitable Earth-sized planets in the Milky Way, rising to 40 billion if planets orbiting the numerous red dwarfs are included."
"The least massive exoplanet known is Draugr, which is about twice the mass of the Moon."
"The most massive exoplanet listed on the NASA Exoplanet Archive is HR 2562 b, about 30 times the mass of Jupiter."
"Known orbital times for exoplanets vary from less than an hour (for those closest to their star) to thousands of years."
"However, there is evidence that extragalactic planets, exoplanets farther away in galaxies beyond the local Milky Way galaxy, may exist."
"The nearest exoplanets are located 4.2 light-years (1.3 parsecs) from Earth and orbit Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun."
"The discovery of exoplanets has intensified interest in the search for extraterrestrial life."
"There is special interest in planets that orbit in a star's habitable zone (or sometimes called 'goldilocks zone'), where it is possible for liquid water, a prerequisite for life as we know it, to exist on the surface."
"Rogue planets are those that do not orbit any star."
"The rogue planets in the Milky Way possibly number in the billions or more."
"However, the study of planetary habitability also considers a wide range of other factors in determining the suitability of a planet for hosting life."
"Transit photometry and Doppler spectroscopy have found the most."
"The first possible evidence of an exoplanet was noted in 1917, but was not recognized as such."