The document discusses how astronomers study other solar systems using infrared telescopes to detect planets orbiting other stars, with over 500 solar systems detected so far. It describes the types of planets that have been located, including terrestrial planets like Earth composed of rock and gas giants composed primarily of gas. The document also outlines additional planet types and tools that astronomers use to investigate other solar systems.

1. By Josh and Natalie

2. How do we study other
solar systems?
 For years scientists have
studied our own solar system
 The first extra solar planets
were discovered in 1995
 Using infrared space telescopes
make planets clear to see
 Planets around other stars are
hard to find
 Astronomers map out solar
systems

3. What do we know about other solar
systems?
 The sun is only one of 200
billion stars
 It was the 1990s when
astronomers found strong
evidence of planets around
other stars
 Stars have a lot to do with
solar systems
 Astronomers have so far found
over 500 solar systems, they

4. What types of planets are we able
to locate?Planets
 Terrestrial
 Also known as “rocky planets”
 Composed primarily of metal, rock, and have
very high density
 Have slow periods of rotation
 Tend to be small
 Very few satellites or moons
 Gas Giants
 Only extra-solar planets that scientists have
been able to discover as of yet
 Low density-composed almost completely of
gas
 Life may be able to exist on some of these!
 Huge
 In the middle, these planets have a “rocky

5. More planets that we
are able to locate:
 Planetoids
 Group of objects too
small to be planets
and too large to be
asteroids
 Thousands of these
objects are orbiting
the edge of our solar

6. Tools that we use for
investigating:
They use Infrared Space Telescopes
which make planets clearer and easier to
view.

7. Hot Jupiters
 Hot jupiters are Jupiter-sized exoplanets
 Hot jupiters are Jupiter-sized exoplanets
that orbit very close to their star.
 Sometimes they orbit their star the
wrong direction
 One method that is used to find them is
called the “wobble method.” Basically,
astronomers use the wobble motion
induced on a star by it’s planet’s gravity
to detect the presence of the huge planet.
If the star is really wobbly, the closer
and larger the planet is.
 There are also “warm jupiters” which
orbit farther away from their stars

8. That’s The Winner (video)

9. Bibliography
 "A map of all the water in the solar
system." io9. We come from the future..
N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2012.
<http://io9.com/5827649/a-map-of-all-the-
water-in-the-solar-system>.
 "Scale of Universe - Interactive Scale of the
Universe Tool." Scale of Universe - Interactive
Scale of the Universe Tool. N.p., n.d. Web. 20
Apr. 2012. http://scaleofuniverse.com/
 "Solar Systems." Space Place - NASA.
N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 1920.
<spaceplace.nasa.gov/review/dr-marc-
space/solar-systems-in-galaxy.html>.