TED Talks Daily What the discovery of exoplanets reveals about the universe | Jessie Christiansen
8 snips
Jan 9, 2023 Explore the incredible diversity of exoplanets discovered beyond our solar system, with over 5,000 already identified! Jessie Christiansen delves into the fascinating concept of 'super-Earths' and what these findings reveal about our origins. Learn how planets form from cosmic dust and gas, and gain insights into the technology breakthroughs helping us locate potentially habitable worlds. This journey into the universe's vastness raises profound questions about where we come from and our place in it.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Early Exoplanet Hunting Challenges
- Jessie Christiansen initially struggled to find exoplanets during her PhD, examining 87,000 stars over four years.
- Despite the effort, she found no exoplanets using ground-based instruments, looking for brightness dips.
Kepler's Success
- Christiansen joined the Kepler mission in 2010 and found her first exoplanet on her second day, and then another soon after.
- Kepler's space-based instruments enabled more precise brightness measurements than ground-based telescopes.
Vastness of Exoplanets
- Thousands of exoplanets discovered is just a small fraction of our local galaxy.
- Christiansen believes there are likely tens of billions of planets in the Milky Way.