by Heather Catchpole
FROM NEAR-EARTHS TO BIZARRE planets with oven-hot surfaces, comet-like tails or a seasonal temperature variations of 700°C, our galaxy is filled with a host of weird and wonderful worlds.
So far more than 350 exoplanets - planets that orbit other stars - have been discovered, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Future sky surveys aim to detect not just the telltale blip of an exoplanet as it passes in front of its star, or the tiny gravitational tug of its orbit on its host sun, but also the composition of these planets, and crucially, their atmospheres. The hunt goes on.
WEIRD WORLDS
Could planets made of diamond or iron exist? While hundreds of exoplanets have already been discovered, it could just be a matter of time before we find some truly bizarre ones.
FIRST 'SERIOUS CANDIDATE' FOR OCEAN PLANET
Astronomers have unveiled the lightest exoplanet ever detected and, in the same distant solar system, the first "serious candidate" for a world with abundant liquid water, both conditions thought important for supporting life.
CATALOGUE OF STRANGE NEW WORLDS
A planet resembling a hot snowball discovered orbiting a distant star is the latest addition to a growing list of extrasolar planets with bizarre properties.
EXOPLANETS FOUND HIDING IN HUBBLE DATA
A new image processing technique can be used to scan more than a decade's worth of data from the Hubble Space Telescope to find undiscovered exoplanets, researchers claim.
STRANGE EXOPLANET SUFFERS INTERMITTENT INFERNO
Astronomers have observed a planet some 200 light-years from Earth that, for a few hours, becomes 700°C hotter every time its elliptical orbit brings it close to its sun.
EXTRASOLAR EXPLOSION
Hundreds of extrasolar planets have been detected so far - but a massive new sky survey, starting later this year, could quadruple the tally of known alien worlds.
EXOPLANET IS RAPIDLY ORBITING SPEED DEMON
A massive exoplanet is the first yet found orbiting a super-hot, rapidly rotating star, which turns at around 12 times the speed of our Sun.
FAMILIAR MOONS MAY ORBIT DISTANT STARS
Moons similar to our own could be discovered in distant solar systems by watching the stars for telltale blips of light, says a Korean researcher.
FIRST HUBBLE SHOTS OF AN ALIEN EXOPLANET
After an eight-year quest for images, the Hubble space telescope has snapped the first visible light images of a planet outside our Solar System.
AMATEUR PLANET HUNTERS HELP FIND STRANGE SUPER-JUPITER
Astronomers have revealed one of the strangest planets yet discovered. The extrasolar oddity is 13 times the size of Jupiter and is so close to its star that it completes an orbit in just 3.2 days.
USEFUL SITES:
Extra solar planet encyclopedia
Regularly updated and with referenced data, this is the one-stop shop index of exoplanets found to date, current exoplanet searches and theory.
NASA/JPL's Planet Quest: Exoplanet exploration
Download the latest planet count to your desktop, check out the rich multimedia and get the latest news on NASA's eight exoplanet search missions.
PlanetQuest@Twitter
Twitter away with the experts and enthusiasts on the latest exoplanet results.
European Space Agency: How to find an extrasolar planet
The basics on the radial velocity, transit and astrometry techniques used to search for exoplanets.
Systemic: characterising planetary systems
Californian astrophysicist Greg Laughlin blogs his personal experiences with the scientists conducting exoplanet searches.
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An artist’s impression of Gliese 581d, an exoplanet about 20.3 light-years away from Earth, in the constellation Libra.
Total Messages: 25,878
Transmission Size: 2,845,345 bytes
Current Visitors: 2
| 1 | Australia | 6 | India | |
| 2 | United States | 7 | Brazil | |
| 3 | China | 8 | Czech Republic | |
| 4 | Italy | 9 | Canada | |
| 5 | Russia | 10 | Germany |
Smile :) Humans are naive and fragile. We are not evolved to understand everything. We are children in a vast and mysterious universe.
Tommy
Adelaide, Australia
Tommy
Adelaide, Australia
Hey I'm Katelyn. I just want to know what's with all the abductions? If you need a volunteer, please take my brothers! Take your pick. I thank you in advance. x
Katelyn Tepper
Horsham, Australia
Katelyn Tepper
Horsham, Australia
We come in peace. If you are out there, please respond. We want to be friends. We are all different and we can't wait to meet you! From the children of Earth.
Class4M
Castle Cove Public School, Australia
Class4M
Castle Cove Public School, Australia
All our petty disputes, disagreements and wars fade into insignificance when we consider our tiny world's place in the cosmos.
Silvio Zarb
Melbourne, Australia
Silvio Zarb
Melbourne, Australia
What do you see when you look up into the sky? Do you feel small and lonely, just like us? From now on, I can assure you one thing: you are not alone. Be happy.
Sergio Camalich
Hermosillo, Mexico
Sergio Camalich
Hermosillo, Mexico
What I've learnt: believe in yourself, believe in others, keep confidences, that family matters, you get what you give, dare to dream and don't forget to laugh.
Patty
Melbourne, Australia
Patty
Melbourne, Australia
Hopefully one day you will come to planet Earth, to discover what we call home. Beaches, blue water, blues skies. You live and learn with every step you take.
Deijah
Tauranga, New Zealand
Deijah
Tauranga, New Zealand
We are but children with so much still to learn; troubled by fears and nightmares but also elated by our hopes and dreams. We hope one day to be friends.
Wilson da Silva
Sydney, Australia
Wilson da Silva
Sydney, Australia
If you come to Earth look into: music, the beach, ice cream, hugs, family, love, dancing, cheese, trampolines, friendship, books and dreams. Just for a start.
Tamasin
Richmond, Australia
Tamasin
Richmond, Australia
Hi there: Sorry about "The Outer Limits"; hope you enjoyed "I Love Lucy". Have you got all our missing socks? Love, Earth
Fred Mason
Roberts Creek, Australia
Fred Mason
Roberts Creek, Australia
"These are not the droids you're looking for."
Don
Denton, TX, United States
Don
Denton, TX, United States
"We are all lying in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars..." - Oscar Wilde
Jeff N
Sydney, Australia
Jeff N
Sydney, Australia
Hope you receive this message as it could mean the start of something magnificent. With awe and respect from Earth.
Theresa
Canberra, ACT, Australia
Theresa
Canberra, ACT, Australia
You are cordially invited to an Interplanetary BBQ.
6.00pm, 4th October, 2452 at my place
BYO Meat and Beer.
RSVP: Year 2100
Cheers
Daniel Edmonds
Melbourne, Australia
Daniel Edmonds
Melbourne, Australia
Hi from Patrick & Emily of Earth. We all wonder if there's life elsewhere in the Universe. But one thing is certain - We're never alone when we have each other.
Patrick
Sydney, Australia
Patrick
Sydney, Australia
May you live in peace and prosperity. To live is the best gift in the universe. Do not take what you cannot give. Respect all life. Be in awe of the vastness.
Geoffrey Irvin
Melbourne, Australia
Geoffrey Irvin
Melbourne, Australia
Hello, peace be with you, I hope one day that my children will be able to play and be friends with your children. Until we meet! Take care. Paul Cotter
Paul Cotter
Batemans bay, Australia
Paul Cotter
Batemans bay, Australia
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Sam
Adelaide, Australia
Sam
Adelaide, Australia
Our observations indicate that your planetary system is a low-mass star orbited by at least four planets, can you confirm?
Professor Penny Sackett
Canberra, Australia
Professor Penny Sackett
Canberra, Australia
Hello from Australia on the planet we call Earth. These messages express our people's dreams for the future. We want to share those dreams with you.
Minister Kim Carr
Canberra, Australia
Minister Kim Carr
Canberra, Australia