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Exoplanet detection (500+)
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Gravitational attraction between a stellar mass (sun) and planets (bigger the better, why?) makes sun’s position wobble about barycenter.
Big question is: How many planets are in life- zone where liquid water is stable?
Life zone is where a sun’s luminosity and a planet’s orbital radius are correct: the green zone below. The red zone is too hot (Mercury- like) and the blue zone is to cold and makes gaseous planets (Jupiter-like)
2 detected exoplanets to scale for planet orbital radius (planets not to scale!)
Our solar system to scale for Jupiter and Saturn orbital radius
Exoplanet detection methods
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Transit method: light dims
Radial velocity wobble (Doppler shift)
Direct observation infrared
Kepler mission (launched 2009): watching 100,000 nearby stars. We will know
statistical probability of earth-like planets (liquid water) in 4 years
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The Kepler-scope: measure 100,000 stars brightness (photometry) at same time (wide view field) to find planets
The local structure of our Galaxy, the Milky Way. The stars sampled are similar to the immediate solar neighborhood. Young stellar clusters, ionized hydrogen (HII) regions and the neutral hydrogen (HI) distribution define the arms of the Galaxy.
3,000 light-year search of stars in Sagittarius Arm
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Galactic core black-hole sun motion for 8 yrs
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Gravity is a busy force moving stuff around rapidly
Supermassive black holes at center of most all galaxies
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Milky way galaxy center
Andromeda central SM blackhole
