Posts tagged with: telescopes

Exocast-45c: how many exoplanets are there?

In this episode, the team sits down to ponder the question how many exoplanets are there? At first, this might seem like a relatively straightforward question that can be answered by NASA’s Exoplanet Archive, but it becomes more daunting when considering, for example, the biases and limitations of our instruments that affect our ability to even detect and characterise many planets, how we define a ‘planet’, and whether or not we have surveyed enough stars

Exocast-44c: Can we ever image the surface of an exoplanet?

On this episode we ask the question: Can we ever image the surface of an exoplanet? Once we get all the definitions out of the way, like ‘what do we mean by map?’ and ‘what do we mean by surface?’, we take a deep dive into the realm of instrumentation to discuss the possibilities and limitations of our upcoming and near-future exoplanet imaging technologies. We touch on some of the avenues that astronomers & engineers

Exocast-18b – Direct Imaging Special with special guest Sasha Hinkley

In the 18th episode of Exocast, we chat to Sasha Hinkley, a direct imaging expert at the University of Exeter: “Spotlights & fireflies” – what it means to be able to directly image planets and how we do it. Why direct imaging may not have the numbers compared to other detection techniques, but can give us so much more information on each planet The future of direct imaging instruments, including JWST, WFIRST and the E-ELT.

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