As our sensitivity improves, we are finally seeing planets with longer orbital periods, planetary systems that look more like our solar system. Debra Fischer More Quotes by Debra Fischer More Quotes From Debra Fischer The building blocks of life are readily available throughout the universe. Debra Fischer availablebuildinguniverselife I hope that vigorous space exploration continues and that humankind will have a space station that resides between Earth and the moon. Outside the gravitational field of Earth, we could launch robotic spacecraft to other destinations in our solar system. Debra Fischer spacemoonearthhope Within the scientific community, there is healthy skepticism. And the question is, 'How do you ever get to a meaningful null result? How long and how hard do SETI scientists have to look for extraterrestrial intelligence and find nothing before they say, 'There is nothing. We are alone.' Debra Fischer aloneyouintelligencecommunity It now seems logical that all the stars, like our own sun, must have formed with a system of planets around them. Debra Fischer ownlikestarssun Generally speaking, exoplanets can be any size, and they are found in a wide range of orbits. Some have massive gas atmospheres; others are smaller with an icy or rocky composition. Debra Fischer otherssomesizefound One of the first thoughts I had, when doing early exoplanet research, was that Earth and its many companions seemed very different from the planetary systems we were detecting. Debra Fischer thoughtsdoingresearchearth In 1999, my team discovered that the star Upsilon Andromedae was circled by three gas-giant planets - the first distant multiplanet system ever found. That same year, other researchers observed the first 'transit' of an exoplanet - a planet blocking out a small fraction of the starlight as it passes in front of the star. Debra Fischer smallyearthreeteam The first exoplanet to be found around a sun-like star was discovered in 1995, just two years before I began studying exoplanet detection. Debra Fischer studyingfirstjusttwo Further ahead, I'd like to see tiny spacebots - smaller than your cell phone - travel outside our solar system to the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri. By keeping the mass of those spacebots low, we could more easily accelerate them. Debra Fischer phoneyourcell-phonetravel Prebiotic chemistry on other worlds is going to be common. Plenty of small rocky planets will have similar chemistry. It's almost a given. Debra Fischer goingwillsmallchemistry If few worlds have microbial life, it dramatically reduces the chances that more complex organisms exist. Debra Fischer complexexistmorelife Science requires speculation, creativity, and wild ideas. Debra Fischer wildcreativityscienceideas The universe has told us the most common types of planets are small planets, and our study shows these are exactly the ones that are most likely to be orbiting Alpha Centauri A and B. Debra Fischer ussmalluniversestudy Because Alpha Centauri is so close, it is our first stop outside our solar system. There's almost certain to be small, rocky planets around Alpha Centauri A and B. Debra Fischer alphaoutsidestopsmall Before 1995, the only planets we knew about were the planets in our solar system. Debra Fischer solaraboutonlysolar-system Ultimately, what we're looking for in the long run is to find other Earth-like planets. Debra Fischer findlookingrunlong The gas-giant planets in our solar system all have large moons. Debra Fischer solarsystemsolar-systemplanets When stars form a planet, they come in a bunch. Debra Fischer planetcomeformstars We now know that stars which are abundant in heavy metals are five times more likely to harbor orbiting planets than are stars deficient in metals. Debra Fischer morenowknowstars Whether a star has planetary companions or not is a condition of its birth. Those with a larger initial allotment of metals have an advantage over those without. Debra Fischer withoutoverstarbirth
