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Science MARVELS project by NASA looks for new planets
Science MARVELS project by NASA looks for new planets | MARVELS project by NASA looks for new planets |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Saturday, 10 May 2008 | |
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Science DiscussionsOver the past twenty years astronomers have found over 280 exosolar planets, or exoplanets. In fact, according to the Interactive Catalog of The Exosolar Planet Encyclopedia (which is maintained by the CNRS-LUTH, Paris Observatory), as of May 8, 2008, 288 exoplanets have been discovered. Unlike the planets that orbit the Sun, exoplanets orbit stars other than the Sun. Because of their small size and large distance away from us, they are difficult to find. Beginning in the autumn of 2008, astronomers will begin a large search—the NASA-supported MARVELS project—for new exoplanets. They will search around 11,000 stars that are relatively close to the Sun over a six-year period. To date, astronomers have searched about 3,000 stars, and found 288 exoplanets for their efforts. Their minimum desire for the MARVELS search is the discovery of 150 exoplanets, but they may well likely find many more. The MARVELS project is a part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey iis an extensive astronomical survey, which will eventually make detailed images of more than 25% of the sky and result in a three-dimensional map of about one million galaxies and quasars. The SDSS is now in its third phase (SDSS III). American astronomer Jian Ge, who is the principal investigator for MARVELS, states, "We're looking in particular for giant planets like Jupiter…. Once we find a big planet around a star, we know that smaller planets could be there, too." [NASA: “Planets by the Dozen”] Ge, a professor at the University of Florida (Gainesville), compares these large planets to “beacons of a lighthouse”—once you find a large planet around a star it is likely that smaller ones are also orbiting that same star. The MARVELS project will enable astronomers to learn more about planets, solar systems, and galaxies. Please turn the page for more information. |
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