What we found when we went looking for another Earth

In the last few years, scientists have discovered thousands of exoplanets - and a lot of them are surprisingly weird.

In 1584, Italian friar Giordano Bruno argued that other stars had planets of their own and that those planets had inhabitants. He had no real proof of his claims — they just felt true. But they were heretical enough to get the attention of the Roman Catholic Church. The Inquisition arrested Bruno, put his tongue in a vice, and burned him at the stake.

Four hundred years later, the idea of “exoplanets” (the term for planets outside our solar system) had become much more popular. Books, TV, and movies teemed with alien worlds orbiting alien suns. But one thing remained the same. We still had no proof that they existed.

Then, in 1995, astronomers discovered 51 Pegasi b — a planet orbiting a sun-like star in the Pegasus constellation. Many scientists were skeptical at first; this planet was almost too strange to be believed. Though it was about the size of Jupiter, it was closer to its star than Mercury is to our sun. Most surprisingly, it completed its orbit in just 4 days.

The years that followed brought a trickle of other discoveries, then a flood. New telescopes were sent to space and new computers crunched the data they collected. Today, we’ve confirmed the existence of nearly 5,000 exoplanets, with many more candidates waiting in the wings. Those planets paint a surprising picture of our galaxy. While astronomers once wondered if any stars have planets - now planetary systems seem the norm. 51 Pegasi b wasn’t a fluke — gas giants zipping around close to their stars (nicknamed “Hot Jupiters” or “Roasters”) are actually very common. We’ve also found lots of “super earths” — rocky worlds 2 to ten times bigger than Earth.

Our solar system, on the other hand, seems less common than some had imagined. We haven’t found anything quite like it. But … it’s still early. And the data we’ve gathered so far has many scientists feeling confident that somewhere out there, just waiting for our telescopes to swing in the right direction, is a planet like Earth.

Presented by the Center for Matter at Atomic Pressures (CMAP) at the University of Rochester,

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation.

Further reading:

The ongoing effort to find even more exoplanets

The discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 system

A batch of potentially habitable planets

The Smallest Lights in the Universe - Sara Seager’s memoir

How we study conditions inside exoplanets here on Earth:

[Vox]

Thanks for watching! Astronomers have found planets that make it around their stars in just a few hours. The planet K2-137 b completes 5 of its “years” in a single Earth day.

And the exoplanet with the slowest orbit? That’s COCONUTS-2 b — which takes 1, 101, 369 Earth YEARS to circle its star. By the way, COCONUTS is short for COol Companions ON Ultrawide orbiTS. -Adam

[deadlytsg]

This does not change the fact that in Antarctica there are 21 million penguins and in Malta there are 502, 653 inhabitants. So if the penguins decide to invade Malta, each Maltese will have to fight 42

[KOOLURATOOLGaming]

Part of me wishes that we had more sci-fi films and series that focus on alien environments and how humans have adapted to living on them. From big things like food production and social hierarchy, to the subtle cultural impact of seeing multiple planets in the sky or a giant one. So many stories could be told on these worlds.

Edit: I've already watched The Expanse and I've heard of All Tomorrows. I've watched Raised by Wolves and Avatar.

[WaitUpBrett]

Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. - Arthur C Clarke

[dgcp]

Every time they try to find another planet I get really amazed how earth is so perfect for us and get immediately sad how we're destroying it.

[michaelmiller]

We seriously need more content like this. Exoplanets are incredible as well as astronomy as a whole. Giving us hope in a world where it seems like its dying.

[luxemas]

Would be insanely cool to read a science fiction/high fantasy novel with the setting of an eternal day on one side of the planet and an eternal night on the other side (like the one in proxima centauri b), with all the other fictional elements you can fit into that premise.

[Housewarmin]

QUESTION: How would we find life on other planets with the way light years work? When we look at distant planets and stars that are millions of light years away, we are seeing them essentially in the past. The light has taken thousands of years to get to our planet. So if we did find life, how would we know if they exist right now, if they are millions of light years away? By the time we see the planet, the life might be extinct. Question also applies to our planet, Is that the reason ET's have never visited? They are too far away, and don't even know we exist yet?

[notabadcookie]

I'm excited about what possibilities JWST could unveil for us. Things we couldn't imagine before. Thanks, Vox for covering this in an elegant and understandable way.

[pragyaraj]

I don't know about y'all but I'm way more excited these days about the JWST. And the next 6 months legit feels like eternity for me.

[flyinggeovishapthatcanswim]

"What's the point? Why are we doing this?"
*"It's human nature to explore"*

I expected a technical and profound answer, but her answer is better (or even the best). Simple and genuine, yet explains all of it :)

[unoninguno]

As usual, excellent job here. Something that worries me by the fact of being explorers is the fact that it doesn't makes us conserve and value what we've discovered. This planet is our only home.

[JeroAlmufakir]

It's awesome you got Prof. Seager for this, she's a crucial authority for planetary sciences and her work has been really influential 👏🏽

[besmart]

This video is so Adam, you've got a style my man!

[MalaysianTropikfusion]

There's a lot to love about this seemingly simple video: The jungle-lakeside-campfire interview setting which provide a more intimate, human feel to the astrophysicist; the neat animated illustrations which aid understanding; but mostly, the knowledge of where research is heading in the next decade or so, which I wasn't expecting when I clicked on this video. Can't wait for more information about TRAPPIST-1's exoplanets from James Webb.

[teatree]

The animations are adorable and makes the concepts easier to understand.

[masterreeses]

You really given some Outer Wilds, campfire s’mores, vibes going in this video about planets. Nice

[ojasbhagavath]

"How amazing would that be?"
"It would be amazing."
Finally someone with my level of communication skills.

[therealtalk]

*I think Vox reminds people how amazing the universe is*

[leafrika]

I love how Vox breakdown the different complex elements, into down to earth information, with real world reference, whilst linking it to pop culture and real world experiences

Thank you for great work VOX