Extrasolar Planets Home

Although the basic mechanics of planet formation are understood, there is still much that we are unaware of in the field. Research into planets outside our solar system allows a great breadth of insight into planet formation. Here at Leicester, we are particularly interested in planets that are companions to white dwarf stars, and have identified some possible candidates.

What makes directly observing planets so difficult is their proximity to their parent star. Even the closest stars are several light years away - so when looking for exoplanets we are trying to resolve very small angles on the sky. Now add to this the fact that the star produces a billion times more light than the planet, making it near enough impossible to see the planet against the star's glare.

In contrast white dwarfs are excellent targets for direct imaging searches for planets since they are up to 10,000 fainter than their main sequence progenitors, giving a significant gain on the brightness problem.