Exoplanets

Foreword

xv Foreword The discovery of exoplanets is arguably the greatest scientific revolution since the time of Copernicus. Simply stated, humanity now knows for the first time as scientific fact: there actually are planets around other stars. Yet as profound as this discovery is, the trumpets have not blared and no theorists have been burned at the stake. (An early proponent of other planetary worlds, Giordano Bruno, did not fare as well in 1600.) Acclamation of exoplanets’ reality has not penetrated the global consciousness as deeply as it might merit because (I think) the public already knew that planets were there. Star Trek took us to a new planet every week; E.T. had to have some place to phone home to; etc. Even though the transition from science fiction to science fact may have seemed subtle, historical perspective from decades or centuries henceforth is likely to see this moment as another major turning point in the human perception of our place in the universe. Now, 400 years after Galileo’s observations affirmed the model of Copernicus, we are in the midst of our own golden era of discovery. Just as Galileo first applied the telescope to reveal the details of our own planetary system, that same spirit of inquisitiveness and ingenuity (with the benefit of technological advances) is now revealing details of other planetary systems. Thus it is easy to fathom why so many current researchers, and most importantly new students, are drawn so strongly to this field. The attraction of pure discovery, the opportunity to share the same experience as Galileo, is simply too alluring to resist. Thus sets the stage for this volume, Exoplanets, perhaps the most important title yet produced in the Space Science Series. The goals of this book are to merge and embrace the astrophysics of exoplanets within the disciplines of planetary science, to fully expand planetary science beyond the bounds of our own solar system, to serve as a foundation for the interface of these merging and expanding fields, and most importantly, to be the gateway for new students and researchers. To accomplish this, Series authors are each challenged to convey what we know, how we know it, and where we go from here. I thank my lucky planets that my colleague, Professor Sara Seager, embraced the editorship of this book with such clear vision and conviction for how it should be accomplished, coupled with the requisite determination and stamina. One cannot understate the effort delivered by the authors whose chapters are the cornerstones upon which the field will continue to build. Less visible, but especially deserving of thanks, are Renée Dotson and co-workers of the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), who brought this volume to reality, literally page by page. The support and dedication for the ongoing success of the Space Science Series by LPI Director Dr. Stephen Mackwell and the staff of the University of Arizona Press are paramount. A grant from Dr. Wesley Traub through the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program has made this gateway accessible to all by supporting costs for this book. No outcome is more desired than that students entering here become the future leaders of the field. Richard P. Binzel Space Science Series General Editor Cambridge, Massachusetts August 2010 xvi ...