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Last year, astronomers were excited to discover that the number of exoplanets increases toward smaller sizes, suggesting that there are many Earth-size planets in the galaxy. A new analysis of three years of Kepler data shows that this increase plateaus around twice Earth size. Nevertheless, Earth-like planets occur around at least 17 percent of sun-like stars.
Tag: extrasolar planets
Intelligent civilizations rarer than one in a million
February 8, 2013:
After looking for intelligent radio signals from 86 stars with known planets, UC Berkeley scientists have, for the first time, calculated the odds of finding intelligent civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy. Fewer than one in a million stars probably are advanced enough for us to detect, though that means there are still potentially millions of such civilizations in the galaxy.
Planet makes weird loops around dusty star
January 12, 2013:
UC Berkeley astronomer Paul Kalas has studied the star Fomalhaut for years because of its resemblance to our own solar system 4 billion years ago. New observations using the Hubble Space Telescope reveal that an already-known planet circling Fomalhaut has a highly eccentric orbit that suggests the presence of other planets.
Exocomets may be as common as exoplanets
January 7, 2013:
Astronomers have found thousands of potential exoplanets and many stars with massive disks of gas and dust that suggest planets are forming, but not much of the stuff intermediate between dust and planets, such as asteroids, planetesimals and comets. UC Berkeley astronomer Barry Welsh has looked closely at a number of stars with dust disks and found evidence that they also have comets.
Grants help scientists explore boundary between science & science fiction
October 5, 2012:
Astronomer Geoff Marcy and cosmologist and string theorist Raphael Bousso are among 20 scientists awarded research grants to explore innovative and edgy areas of science. In the case of Marcy and Bousso, these areas are on the border between science and science fiction.
Astronomer Geoff Marcy appointed to Alberts Chair in SETI
December 23, 2011:
UC Berkeley astronomer Geoff Marcy has been appointed the Watson and Marilyn Alberts Chair in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). The Alberts have long held an interest in SETI-related research, and created the chair in 1998 as the first-ever endowed chair to support SETI.
Kepler telescope discovers six planets around distant star
February 2, 2011:
UC Berkeley astronomer Geoffrey Marcy is among Kepler team members who have announced hundreds of new planet candidates discovered by the space telescope. Among the confirmed planets are six orbiting a star dubbed Kepler-11. This is the largest number of planets around any star besides the Sun.
Study says solar systems like ours may be common
October 28, 2010:
A survey of 166 nearby stars like our sun reveals increasing numbers of smaller planets down to the smallest detectable planets – about three times more massive than the earth. If this trend continues, UC Berkeley astronomers estimate, one of every four sun-like stars may have an earth-like planet.
