In the 18 years since the first planets were discovered outside our Solar System, exoplanets have been discovered in all manner of environments, orbiting everything from pulsars to Sun-like stars to cataclysmic variable binaries. In this time the field of exoplanetary science has also grown from fringe to mainstream science, commanding millions of dollars of research funding. Despite the vast financial outlay by professional astronomers, a great opportunity still exists for the amateur astronomical community to play a significant role in the detection and monitoring of planets orbiting other stars. In this presentation, I will give an overview of this exciting field, including what is being done in Australia professionally and what ways amateurs could become involved.
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Exoplanets presentation (4.3MB ZIP) | 4.26 MB |