We are discovering distant worlds using modern technical methods. This book provides comprehensive and understandable information about this search and the latest methods.
When, in 1995, the Schweizer astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz announced the discovery of the first extrasolar planet orbiting a sun-like star, no one could have guessed that this would lead to the development of a new discipline of astronomy over the next two decades, one that is breathtaking not only in its development. At present (2013), astronomers' catalogues now contain almost 1,000 confirmed exoplanets and over 3,500 candidates – thanks in particular to the unexpectedly successful mission of the Kepler space telescope, which unfortunately failed in spring 2013. It is becoming increasingly clear that planetary systems are something quite normal in the cosmos.
Hot Jupiters, super-Earths and pulsar planets are names given to objects that are completely unknown in our solar system. These exotic worlds, of which only a few parameters are known, not only fire the imagination, but also fuel the hope that sooner or later we will find a counterpart to our blue planet in the vastness of the Milky Way...
This book presents the most important methods and findings of exoplanet research in such a way that the reader gains a profound overview of this new branch of astronomical research and is enabled to follow the relevant specialist literature with benefit. The book is aimed at interested students, high school graduates, teachers and, last but not least, amateur astronomers who are keen to share their knowledge of this fascinating field of research with others...
Table of contents:
- A brief history of exoplanet research
- What is a planet?
- Methods for detecting exoplanets
- Statistics, classification and diversity of exoplanets
- Physical structure of extrasolar planets
- Planetary cosmogony
- Epilogue: SETI – the search for extraterrestrial civilisations
The author Mathias Scholz studied physics at the University of Rostock. Since 1990, he has been working as a freelancer in the field of environmental simulation and IT. He is a long-time amateur astronomer.
