Astronomers have long thought that other stars likely had their own planets around them, but they just didn't know whether they were there, because planets are incredibly hard to see.
About Jo Dunkley
"I am the Joseph Henry Professor of Physics and Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University. I am a 2015 Philip Leverhulme Prize Winner.
My research is in cosmology, studying the origins and evolution of the Universe. My major projects are the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and the Simons Observatory. I have been the analysis leader for ACT for the past few years, and am currently the Spokesperson of the Simons Observatory. I am a Fellow of the Royal Society."
Key Points
• Most exoplanets are detected through a star’s slight wobble or brief dimming during transit, yielding thousands of confirmed worlds.
• Citizen scientists have helped uncover additional planets by analyzing publicly released telescope data.
• The Milky Way’s immense population of stars, each potentially hosting a plethora planets, makes extraterrestrial life statistically plausible, even if unlikely.
• Dark energy currently drives faster cosmic expansion, yet its unknown nature means a future collapse cannot be dismissed.
