Extrasolar Planets & The Power of the Dark Side

Multimedia · Fri Apr 24 00:00:00 EDT 2009

OSTI ID:987336

Charbonneau, David

It is only in the last decade that we have direct evidence for planets orbiting nearby Sun-like stars. If such planets happen to pass in front of their stars, we are presented with a golden opportunity to learn about the nature of these objects. Measurements of the dimming of starlight and gravitational wobble allow us to derive the planetary radius and mass, and, by inference, its composition. Recently, we used the Hubble Telescope to detect and study the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet for the first time. I will describe what we have learned about these planets 

• Research Organization: FNAL (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States))
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-07CH11359
• OSTI ID: 987336
• Resource Relation: Conference: Fermilab Colloquia, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batvia, Illinois (United States), presented on April 24, 2002
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
STAR
PLANET
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