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TWDK planetary science doodle

Exoplanetology

Exoplanetology is the study of planets beyond our Solar System (exoplanets being short for “extrasolar planets”). Perhaps the greatest challenge for exoplanetology is simply finding such planets. Planets are so small and dim compared to their parent stars, that spotting them against the backdrop of the star is extremely difficult.

Confirmed discoveries of exoplanets have only been made since 1988, though the Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno proposed their existence in the sixteenth century. Observatories on Earth and in space have since found thousands of candidates for planets around other stars and new discoveries are being made on a daily basis.

Scientists working in this field use an interdisciplinary approach to their research: astronomy and astrophysics are particularly important for detection and observation; astrogeology and astrobiology. Exoplanetology is a young science and there are plenty of Things We Don’t Know.

Articles about exoplanetology

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Learning about other planetary systems teaches us a lot about our own planet and could potentially lead us to finding extra-terrestrial life!
Delve deeper into planetary systems

The search for alien life catches many people's imagination and has always been a very public branch of science. So with all this investigation, why has our search revealed nothing? Are we truly alone in the Universe?
Delve deeper into extraterrestrial life

Blog posts about exoplanetology

Our blog posts are often written by scientists about their ongoing research

Science blog article.
Are Exoplanets Habitable?
Friday 4th of October 2013
Science blog article.
The Search for another Earth
Thursday 9th of May 2013
Science blog article.
Detection and Discovery of Exoplanets
Saturday 16th of March 2013
Science blog article.
Where is Everyone? The Fermi Paradox, Astrobiology and Exoplanets
Sunday 17th of February 2013
Science blog article.
Do Aliens Exist?
Friday 5th of October 2012
Science blog article.
Ogling at Venus
Wednesday 20th of June 2012

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