The last year has been an extraordinary one for exoplanetary science. With nearly 200 new planets found, and thousands of scientific papers produced, it was tough work narrowing down such a year to a highlights reel. But, without further ado, here is my Top 10 discoveries from the past 12 months:
10. New Habitable Zone Definitions
In early 2013 a new team took a fresh look at the calculations defining the habitable zone, that hypothetical band around every star that an Earth-like planet would have liquid water on the surface. Using modern data, they redefined the distances and suggested that earth was closer to the dangerous inner edge than previously thought. This led to other interesting habitable-zone related news that I have left out to avoid accusation of vanity.
9. Three habitable worlds around GJ667C
Radial Velocity measurements of the star GJ667C found two more potentially habitable planets around the smallest member of this unusual triple star system. All three of these planets, c, e and f, made the Habitable Exoplanet Catalogue’s list of the most life-friendly worlds.
8. Seven-planet solar system found
Reanalysis of the Kepler data by a variety of teams (including the Planet Hunters citizen science project) added a seventh planet to the six worlds already known to circle Kepler-90. With all seven planets circling within the orbit of Earth this not only makes the most numerous planetary system, but also the most compact.
7. ‘Family portrait’ spectra of 3 hot young Jupiters
Studying the atmospheres of exoplanets is extremely tricky business. But a single measurement with the Hale telescope in California was able to take a peek at the atmospheres of three young planets around the star HR 8799. The team found the distinctive signature of methane in the atmospheric spectra of all three worlds as well as a tentative detection of either ammonia (NH3) or acetylene (C2H2).
6. Kepler and CoRoT die
A review of the year would not be complete without taking a moment to consider those lost.
In May a fault with Kepler’s third reaction wheel left it seriously wounded. This problem means, after 4 years of service and 3500 planetary candidates, its primary mission is over. Despite its injury, Kepler will still be able to contribute to space science and a secondary mission is due to be chosen in early 2014.
July saw ESA’s CoRoT mission pronounced officially dead. This transit-observing spacecraft suffered a major computer fault in November after 6 years of dedicated service and was unable to be resuscitated.
5. TESS selected
With death comes new life, and new missions launched and proposed in 2013 look certain to take up the mantle of Kepler and CoRoT.
In April, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) was selected by NASA to launch in 2017. Unlike Kepler, it will scan the entire sky looking for exoplanetary transits, and potentially find hundreds of small rocky exoplanets around nearby stars.
4. Gaia Launched
Blasting off on board a Soyuz rocket from Guyana in December was Gaia. The most sensitive camera ever sent into space to do astronomy, the space telescope will look for the subtle motion of stars due to planetary companions. If all goes to plan by 2020 it will have found another thousand gas giants to add the current crop of exoplanets.
3. Three habitable worlds found by Kepler
April saw NASA announce evidence for three new planets discovered by the Kepler mission. These were not the usual crop of Jupiter-like worlds, however. The planets were some of the most Earth-like yet found. Two of these were found in the Kepler -62, with both e and f orbiting within the star’s Habitable Zone and with radii only 40% and 60% larger than Earth’s respectively. While Kepler-62 is a dim dwarf star, Kepler-69c circles a G-type star similar to our own Sun and, once again, the 1.7RE planet was found within the habitable zone.
2. 1000 exoplanets and WASP’s 100th
In October the number of exoplanets recorded by the exoplanet.eu database ticked over 1000 after the announcement of more than a dozen planets found by the WASP transit survey. These planets included WASP-100 and 101, giving WASP a similar milestone and making the planet-hunting telescopes by far the most successful ground-based transit survey. By the end of the year, the counter stood at 1056, with a total of 188 new planets added in 2013 alone, and it is likely that 2014 will see even more new planets discovered.
1. An Earth-like planet is only 13ly away
2013 saw a fundamental question about the universe finally answered: How far do we have to go before we find a planet that looks like home? Thanks to the wealth of data from Kepler, astronomers were able to definitively say: 13 light years.
By looking at the number of Earth-like worlds in the habitable zone of M-Dwarfs, the most common stars in the galaxy, the Kepler team were able to estimate that 6% of such stars will have their own Earths orbiting them. And while 13 light years is probably far too far away for a visit, proposed telescopes will be able to take a closer look, potentially even hunting for signs of life.
Lost In Transits 