Q&A 53: How Many Planets Can We Detect? And More... Featuring Dr. David Kipping
In this week's questions show, Fraser gets excited about the NIAC awards, considers how NASA will deal with a fully operational BFR, and a special guest answer from Dr. David Kipping from Columbia University's Cool Worlds lab.
Q&A 53: How Many Planets Can We Detect? And More... Featuring Dr. David Kipping (YouTube)
Comments (4)
Hi Fraser, Especially in context of the TESS launch I found the answer of David Kipling interesting. Following up from that is there any data if there is a preference of orientation of planets going around their host star with reference to the galactic plane? Or is it totally random and the hypothetical number of planets on our galaxy is a given multitude of the observed ones via the transit method. Obviously some planets have been discovered through observation of a gravitational wobble of the host star. Does that mean the orientation is totally random?
Thanks Clem, no there's no alignment between planetary systems and the galaxy itself. It's totally random.
Stellar Jay! B.C. provincial bird. I could hear a Junco too. I wonder if you have Western Scrub Jays up there yet. They are fully resident here in Oregon now. Climate change. Anyway.. I love your natural studio settings.
I've never seen one. We have Gray Jays, though, in the mountains. We also call them Whiskey Jacks.