Exomoon Theory and Observational Searches

Whilst the search for extrasolar planets has produced a rich tapestry of results in the last decade, no-one has ever detected a moon outside of our own solar system, a so-called exomoon. Exomoons could potentially be more prolific habitable environments than planets themselves.

The theory behind detecting exomoons has been developed in a large part here at UCL and now the field is moving from theory to observation.  UCL is currently executing the first ever dedicated search for extrasolar moons and is sensitive down to Earth-mass moons around Neptune-mass planets.  As our techniques develop, we hope to push this sensitivity down to Titan-mass objects around Saturn-mass planets. 

Page last modified on 09 jul 13 14:33 by Alexandra N D Fanghanel