amateur exoplanet search
Learn about amateur exoplanet search. What are currently discovered Extrasolar Planets?
The first discovered exoplanet was in 1995, a main sequence star, 51 Pegasi b.
Amateur exoplanet search can be aided by organized such as Transitsearch.org which provide amateur exoplanet search with a list of targets for observations where same data is used by professional astronmers. The most successful type of data collection used by the amateur explanet search is the photometric change in stellar brightness via the exoplanet transit the host star that will dim the brightness of the star -known as the transit method. Amateur exoplanet search can help those professional astronomers who have difficulty securing time in their professional observatories with plenty of time to observer exoplanets motion accross the host star similar to techniques used by NASA's Kepler Telescope.
As you can see from the Exoplanet table below most exoplanets are the mass of Jupiter range where current techonology is hindering the discovery of earthsize exoplanets which by shear size of the universe that number has to be in millions.
ExoPlanet Host Star |
Planet |
Mass |
Radius |
Orbital |
Discovery |
WASP-26 |
b |
1.02 |
1.32 |
2.7566 |
2010 |
WASP-1 |
b |
0.89 |
1.358 |
2.51997 |
2006 |
HAT-P-16 |
b |
4.193 |
1.289 |
2.77596 |
2010 |
Upsilon Andromedae |
b |
0.672 |
- |
4.617136 |
1996 |
Upsilon Andromedae |
d |
10.29 |
- |
1302.61 |
1999 |
WASP-18 |
b |
10.43 |
1.165 |
0.9414518 |
2009 |
HD 15082 |
WASP-33b |
<4.1 |
1.497 |
1.2198669 |
2010 |
HD 17156 |
b |
3.212 |
1.023 |
21.21688 |
2007 |
WASP-11/HAT-P-10 |
b |
0.460 |
1.045 |
3.7224690 |
2008 |
Epsilon Eridani |
b |
1.55 |
- |
2502 |
2000 |
WASP-22 |
b |
0.56 |
1.12 |
3.53269 |
2010 |
XO-3 |
b |
11.79 |
1.217 |
3.1915239 |
2007 |
HAT-P-15 |
b |
1.946 |
1.072 |
10.863502 |
2010 |
2M J044144 |
b |
7.5 |
- |
- |
2010 |
Beta Pictoris |
b |
8 |
- |
~6000 |
2008 |
WASP-12 |
b |
1.41 |
1.83 |
1.091435 |
2008 |
COROT-12 |
b |
0.917 |
1.44 |
2.828042 |
2010 |
COROT-7 |
b |
0.0151 |
0.150 |
0.853585 |
2009 |
COROT-7 |
c |
0.0264 |
- |
3.698 |
2009 |
COROT-5 |
b |
0.467 |
1.388 |
4.0378962 |
2008 |
COROT-1 |
b |
1.03 |
1.49 |
1.5089557 |
2007 |
COROT-4 |
b |
0.72 |
1.19 |
9.20205 |
2008 |
COROT-13 |
b |
1.308 |
0.885 |
4.03519 |
2010 |
COROT-14 |
b |
7.6 |
1.09 |
1.51214 |
2010 |
HAT-P-9 |
b |
0.78 |
1.4 |
3.92289 |
2008 |
XO-4 |
b |
1.72 |
1.34 |
4.12502 |
2008 |
XO-5 |
b |
1.077 |
1.089 |
4.1877539 |
2008 |
XO-2 |
b |
0.57 |
0.973 |
2.615838 |
2007 |
HAT-P-13 |
b |
0.851 |
1.28 |
2.91626 |
2009 |
55 Cancri |
d |
4.8 |
- |
5169 |
2002 |
WASP-13 |
b |
0.46 |
1.21 |
4.35298 |
2008 |
HD 80606 |
b |
3.94 |
1.029 |
111.43637 |
2001 |
WASP-19 |
b |
1.15 |
1.31 |
0.7888399 |
2009 |
OGLE-TR-211 |
b |
1.03 |
1.36 |
3.67724 |
2007 |
OGLE-TR-132 |
b |
1.14 |
1.18 |
1.689868 |
2003 |
OGLE-TR-113 |
b |
1.32 |
1.09 |
1.4324757 |
2004 |
OGLE-TR-111 |
b |
0.53 |
1.067 |
4.0144479 |
2002 |
OGLE2-TR-L9 |
b |
4.5 |
1.67 |
2.48553417 |
2008 |
OGLE-TR-182 |
b |
1.01 |
1.13 |
3.9791 |
2007 |
b |
0.072 |
0.438 |
2.643904 |
2004 |
|
2M1207 |
b |
4 |
1.5 |
620000 |
2004 |
PSR B1257+12 |
A |
0.000063 |
- |
25.262 |
1994 |
PSR B1257+12 |
B |
0.013 |
- |
66.5419 |
1992 |
PSR B1257+12 |
C |
0.012 |
- |
98.2114 |
1992 |
WASP-25 |
b |
0.58 |
1.26 |
3.76483 |
2010 |
HAT-P-3 |
b |
0.599 |
0.890 |
2.899703 |
2007 |
WASP-15 |
b |
0.542 |
1.428 |
3.7520656 |
2008 |
HAT-P-12 |
b |
0.211 |
0.959 |
3.2130598 |
2009 |
WASP-16 |
b |
0.855 |
1.008 |
3.1186009 |
2009 |
WASP-14 |
b |
7.725 |
1.259 |
2.2437704 |
2008 |
WASP-24 |
b |
1.032 |
1.104 |
2.3412083 |
2010 |
e |
0.006104 |
- |
3.14942 |
2009 |
|
b |
0.0492 |
- |
5.36874 |
2005 |
|
c |
0.01686 |
- |
12.9292 |
2007 |
|
d |
0.02231 |
- |
66.8 |
2007 |
|
HAT-P-4 |
b |
0.68 |
1.27 |
3.056536 |
2007 |
Lupus-TR-3 |
b |
0.81 |
0.89 |
3.91405 |
2007 |
WASP-17 |
b |
0.49 |
1.66 |
3.7354417 |
2009 |
XO-1 |
b |
0.9 |
1.3 |
3.941534 |
2006 |
1RXS J160929.1-210524 |
b |
8 |
1.7 |
|
2008 |
HD 147506 |
HAT-P-2b |
9.09 |
1.157 |
5.6334729 |
2007 |
PSR B1620-26 |
PSR B1620-26b |
2.5 |
~0.8 |
~36500 |
1993 |
HD 149026 |
b |
0.359 |
0.654 |
2.8758887 |
2005 |
GJ 1214 |
b |
0.0179 |
0.2415 |
1.5803925 |
2009 |
HAT-P-14 |
b |
2.232 |
1.15 |
4.6267669 |
2010 |
OGLE-2005-BLG-071L |
b |
3.5 |
- |
3600 |
2005 |
OGLE-TR-10 |
b |
0.63 |
1.26 |
3.10129 |
2002 |
GSC 03089-00929 |
TrES-3 |
1.92 |
1.295 |
1.30619 |
2007 |
OGLE-2006-BLG-109L |
b |
0.727 |
- |
1790 |
2008 |
rOGLE-2006-BLG-109L |
c |
0.271 |
- |
4931 |
2008 |
GSC 02620-00648 |
TrES-4 |
0.919 |
1.799 |
3.553945 |
2006 |
MOA-2008-BLG-310L |
b |
0.23 |
- |
- |
2009 |
OGLE-2005-BLG-390L |
b |
0.018 |
- |
4800 |
2006 |
OGLE-2007-BLG-368L |
b |
0.0694 |
- |
- |
2009 |
OGLE-TR-56 |
b |
1.29 |
1.30 |
1.211909 |
2003 |
SWEEPS J175853.92−291120.6 |
SWEEPS-04 |
3.8 |
0.81 |
4.2 |
2006 |
SWEEPS J175902.67−291153.5 |
SWEEPS-11 |
9.7 |
1.13 |
1.796 |
2006 |
OGLE-2003-BLG-235L |
b |
2.6 |
- |
- |
2004 |
OGLE-2005-BLG-169L |
b |
0.041 |
- |
3100 |
2006 |
MOA-2007-BLG-192L |
b |
0.01 |
- |
- |
2008 |
MOA-2007-BLG-400L |
b |
0.9 |
- |
- |
2008 |
HAT-P-5 |
b |
1.06 |
1.26 |
2.788491 |
2007 |
WASP-3 |
b |
1.76 |
1.31 |
1.846834 |
2007 |
COROT-11 |
b |
2.33 |
1.43 |
2.99433 |
2010 |
COROT-9 |
b |
0.84 |
1.05 |
95.2738 |
2010 |
COROT-6 |
b |
2.96 |
1.166 |
8.887 |
2009 |
Kepler-8 |
b |
0.603 |
1.419 |
3.52254 |
2010 |
Kepler-4 |
b |
0.077 |
0.357 |
3.21346 |
2010 |
GSC 02652-01324 |
TrES-1 |
0.61 |
1.081 |
3.030065 |
2004 |
GSC 03549-02811 |
TrES-2 |
1.199 |
1.272 |
2.47063 |
2006 |
Kepler-7 |
b |
0.433 |
1.478 |
4.885525 |
2010 |
COROT-10 |
b |
2.75 |
0.97 |
13.2406 |
2010 |
COROT-8 |
b |
0.22 |
0.57 |
6.21229 |
2010 |
COROT-2 |
b |
3.31 |
1.465 |
1.7429964 |
2007 |
HAT-P-7 |
b |
1.8 |
1.421 |
2.2047298 |
2008 |
Kepler-6 |
b |
0.669 |
1.323 |
3.23423 |
2010 |
HAT-P-11 |
b |
0.081 |
0.422 |
4.8878162 |
2009 |
Kepler-5 |
b |
2.114 |
1.431 |
3.54846 |
2010 |
HD 189733 |
b |
1.13 |
1.138 |
2.2185733 |
2005 |
WASP-2 |
b |
0.914 |
1.117 |
2.152226 |
2006 |
WASP-7 |
b |
0.96 |
0.915 |
4.954658 |
2008 |
HD 209458 |
b |
0.685 |
1.32 |
3.52474859 |
1999 |
HAT-P-8 |
b |
1.52 |
1.5 |
3.07632 |
2008 |
Gliese 876 |
d |
0.021 |
- |
1.93778 |
2005 |
Gliese 876 |
c |
0.7142 |
- |
30.0881 |
2001 |
Gliese 876 |
b |
2.2756 |
- |
61.1166 |
1998 |
Gliese 876 |
e |
0.046 |
- |
124.26 |
2010 |
b |
0.054–3.0 |
- |
~320000 |
2008 |
|
ADS 16402 B |
HAT-P-1b |
0.524 |
1.225 |
4.4652934 |
2006 |
HR 8799 |
d |
10 |
1.2 |
~36500 |
2008 |
HR 8799 |
c |
10 |
1.2 |
~69000 |
2008 |
HR 8799 |
b |
7 |
1.1 |
~170000 |
2008 |
WASP-21 |
b |
0.30 |
1.07 |
4.322482 |
2010 |
WASP-6 |
b |
0.503 |
1.224 |
3.361006 |
2008 |
WASP-10 |
b |
3.06 |
1.08 |
3.0927616 |
2008 |
WASP-4 |
b |
1.237 |
1.365 |
1.3382282 |
2007 |
WASP-28 |
b |
0.91 |
1.12 |
3.408821 |
2010 |
HAT-P-6 |
b |
1.057 |
1.33 |
3.852985 |
2007 |
WASP-29 |
b |
0.248 |
0.74 |
3.923 |
2010 |
WASP-5 |
b |
1.637 |
1.171 |
1.6284246 |
2007 |
WASP-8 |
b |
2.23 |
1.17 |
8.16 |
2008 |
Currently majority of exoplanet discovery and characterisation is limited to 300 light years distance from earth due to the limitation of existing technologies.
Learn more Extrasolar Planets by topics below.
Drakes equation
Exoplanet Discovery and Characterisation
