Difference between revisions of "Exoplanets"

Revision as of 01:27, 30 December 2009

• Describe the current effort to detect planets orbiting stars other than our sun. (JW)
• How do we know that exoplanets exist? How many are there?
• Describe two methods of detecting exoplanets
• If an exoplanet transits a star, how does the luminosity change? Draw an plot of L vs t to scale
• What discovery ~15 years ago made exoplanet searches feasible? (The question was phrased pretty strangely. Hint: What "class" of exoplanets were discovered about then?)
• What is the probability of finding an eclipsing system?
• How many transiting exoplanets have been detected from space. How many have been detected from the ground?
• Calculate the temperature of an exoplanet caused by reflection of the parent star's light. (SR)
• What information may be obtained if two transits of an exoplanet are observed? More than two? (RS)
• At what radii are transits most common, smaller or larger than a Mercury orbit? What is the distance to Mercury's orbit?
  • Derive the probability of seeing a transit. (AB)
• Given a planet of temperature T, and a Sun-like star, derive the distance from star? (AB)
• What transit depth would you see from a Jupiter sized object passing in front of a Sun-like star?
• What are the effects that could cause the absorption line of a star to be broadened? (JW)
• About how long will it take the Kepler telescope to confirm its first Earthlike planet? (PJ)

Astrophysics