Overview

For the last two decades, planet searches have been largely designed to determine the number of planets in the galaxy and their sizes in a statistical sense. At present, a transition is underway towards searching for particular kinds of planets, like habitable Earth-sized ones, or planets we can study with great detail. In this talk, UW astronomy and astrobiology graduate student Brett Morris will review the methods used to find exoplanets, and lay out the upcoming missions planned by NASA and ESA for finding the first habitable Earth-like world which we'll be able to search for life.