Rocky Planets Basking In The Warmth of Other Suns

Abstract:

Just four years ago the prospect of finding rocky planets around other stars was still the subject of science fiction—none had been found and reasonable estimates put us decades away from such momentous discoveries. All of that has changed very recently on the heels of the extraordinarily successful NASA Kepler mission. I will provide an overview of Kepler science and the new view it has provided us on the demographics of exoplanets throughout the Galaxy. In addition to the statistics of exoplanets, I will also show highlights from the many unusual individual discoveries that have expanded our understanding of planet formation and allowed us to view our Solar System within a much broader context than ever before.