Editing Exoplanets

* 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]]
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 * 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)
-* What is Kepler?
-* What is the habitable zone?  How does the temperature scale with luminosity and distance?
-** Might a Jupiter or bigger sized planet in the habitable zone harbor life?  What about its moons?
-* What is the M Dwarf opportunity?  What do M Dwarfs make easier for transit searches?  For RV searches?  What are the drawbacks?
 [[Astrophysics]]