Surprises Galore
Strange exoplanet
Among the more than 400 planets found beyond our solar system, there are volcanic Super Earths, gas giants that dwarf Jupiter, and worlds with multiple sunsets
Many recent breakthroughs have occurred in planet detection. The frontiers being crossed are towards planets with wider orbits and less mass. Along the way, though, strange objects may require retuning theories, and maybe even definitions. "We are in fantastic times," said Michel Mayor of the Observatoire de Geneve. "In ten years, we have a lot of new data." Mayor was one of the astronomers who detected the first extrasolar planet - that is, outside our solar system - in 1995 around the star 51 Pegasi. To commemorate this and other discoveries the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) organized its May 2005 Symposium, "A Decade of Extrasolar Planets Around Normal Stars." Planets had been found earlier, in 1993, around a pulsar, which is a magnetically active neutron star. Although pulsars do not create very habitable surroundings, not many of the other planets found since are likely to support life either - which some may find disappointing. "At the end of the day, all these fine people - who are looking for planets and how they form -really are interested in this question: 'Is there intelligent life elsewhere?'" said Mario Livio of STScI. Planet-hunters hope to give part of the answer by determining whether our solar system is common or unique. A lot of the new data paints a picture in which more planets are more likely to be found. Some day, almost certainly, astronomers will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the first Earth-like planet detected around a Sun-like star, many astronomers say.
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