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Physical Society Colloquium
D. Charbonneau Caltech It is only in the last decade that we have direct evidence for planets orbiting nearby, Sun-like stars. If such planets happen to pass in front of their stars, we are presented with a golden opportunity to learn about the nature of these objects. Measurements of the dimming of starlight and gravitational wobble allow us to derive the planetary radius and mass, and, by inference, its composition. Recently, we used the Hubble Telescope to detect and study the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet for the first time. I will describe what we have learned about these planets to date, and describe a network of telescopes that should detect several dozen such worlds in the next couple years.
Friday, December 6th 2002, 15:30 |