Abstract
We have now confirmed the existence of > 1800 planets orbiting stars other thanthe Sun; known as extrasolar planets or exoplanets. The different methods for detectingsuch planets are sensitive to different regions of parameter space, and so, we are discoveringa wide diversity of exoplanets and exoplanetary systems. Characterizing such planets isdifficult, but we are starting to be able to determine something of their internal compositionand are beginning to be able to probe their atmospheres, the first step towards the detectionof bio-signatures and, hence, determining if a planet could be habitable or not. Here, Iwill review how we detect exoplanets, how we characterize exoplanetary systems and theexoplanets themselves, where we stand with respect to potentially habitable planets and howwe are progressing towards being able to actually determine if a planet could host life or not.
Highlights
Just over 20 years ago, we were completely unaware of the existence of any planets outside our own solar system
I will review the different exoplanet detection methods, describe what we currently know about exoplanet properties and characteristics and discuss what we might learn in the coming years
Imaging extrasolar planets is very difficult, especially as the planet is typically close to a host star that is much brighter than the planet
Summary
Just over 20 years ago, we were completely unaware of the existence of any planets outside our own solar system. Exoplanets, the first were detected in 1992 [1], but rather than orbiting a Sun-like star, these two exoplanets were detected in orbit around a pulsar: the remnant core of a massive star. The first exoplanet discovered around a Sun-like star was Jupiter-like, but orbiting extremely close to its parent star. Many of these close-in exoplanets, known as ‘hot’ Jupiters, have since been discovered. In the last few years, we have started observing massive, gas giant (Jupiter-like) planets at large distances from their parent stars [4]; more distant than the outermost planets in our own solar system. I will review the different exoplanet detection methods, describe what we currently know about exoplanet properties and characteristics and discuss what we might learn in the coming years
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