The Exoplanet Hunters

By Ledbetter, William

Book Id: WPLBN0003548822
Format Type: PDF eBook :
File Size:
Reproduction Date: 2014

Title:	The Exoplanet Hunters
Author:	Ledbetter, William
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Nonfiction, Astronomy, Science
Collections:	Science Fiction Collection, Baen Library Collection
Historic Publication Date:	2013
Publisher:	Baen Publishing Enterprises


Citation APA MLA Chicago Ledbetter, W. (2013). The Exoplanet Hunters. Retrieved from http://gutenberg.cc/

Description
Description: This article lists a few discoveries made by scientists about our solar system and the tools used to make these discoveries.

Summary
Summary: Some tiny space science saplings did manage to blossom and thrive in the open meadows left by the felled sequoias of the Apollo program and the starved, blighted attempts to grow a manned Mars mission. We built a space station that taught us valuable lessons about construction in space and expanded our understanding of micro gravity on the human body. Robotic missions abounded, giving us astounding images and increasing our knowledge of the outer planets exponentially. In a federal budget environment that sees space exploration science as a resource to be plundered and in a society that is much more interested in the plight of reality show stars than potentially life supporting oceans under the ice of Europa, our space sciences community has learned to do amazing things with the meager resources they have at their disposal. Nowhere is that more evident than those crafty magicians who are finding planets circling other stars.

Excerpt
Excerpt: Gravitational Microlensing is also an interesting, if less used way, to find extrasolar planets. When a small star passes in front of a larger star, its gravity works like a magnifying glass, warping and brightening the farther star's light. If a planet is orbiting the nearer star, that planet will also warp the light from the distant planet, causing it to brighten even more and for a measurable period of time

Table of Contents
Table of Contents: