Exoplanet Group

Image: Photos of Observatories by Laurie Hatch

NASA

We thank NASA for ongoing support that has enabled the detection of extra-solar planets. Highlights include:

  • Lick Observatory: 15 year survey for planets around F, G, and K-Type stars.
    • Confirmation of 51 Peg b: the first extra-solar planet detection
    • The detection of the first multiple-planet system around Upsilon Andromdae
    • The quintuple system orbiting 55 Cancri
  • Keck Observatory
    • The first transiting planet, HD209458
    • The N2K project which has detected 21 planets. These include:
      • transiting planets around HD149026 which has the most massive core detected
      • HD17156 which is the longest period transiting planet found to date
    • The eta_earth program which is now detecting low mass "super-earths"
    • The hot neptune program
    • Funded the $1.8M spectrometer for the Automated Planet Finder at Lick Observatory

NSF

  • Provided all funding for the search for earths around alpha-centauri A and B
  • Support for remote and robotic operation of the Automated Planet Finder

JPL/SIM

  • Funding to identify K Giant reference stars for narrow angle astrometry
  • Multi-planet modeling project

Research Corporation

  • Cotrell Scholar Award for Fischer's research
  • Funding for the search for hot jupiters which identified several planets and provided funds for undergraduate research

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