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UCL Department of Space and Climate Physics

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Planet Formation and Exoplanets

The possibility of planets orbiting other stars has been a topic of fascination for centuries. We are the first generation that has brought these planets – now known as exoplanets – from the realm of science-fiction into that of science. An important milestone was the discovery of several planets orbiting a pulsar (Wolszczan & Frail, 1992), followed by the first planet orbiting a star more similar to our Sun (Mayor & Queloz, 1995), an achievement recently awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. The 25 years since have been filled with an abundance of exciting discoveries and today we know over 5000 exoplanets. 

exoplanets

Planet Formation and Exoplanets Research

The research we are conducting into planet formation and exoplanets.

artist's impression of the PLATO mission.

Exoplanet Missions

These are the missions that we are involved in as part of our research into exoplanets.

Resources:

Astrophysics Research:
Publications
Astrophysics Group Page
 

Connect with Astrophysics:
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Head of Group:
Prof. Silvia Zane
s.zane@ucl.ac.uk