Astronomy on Tap Santa Cruz: How to Build an Exoplanet

In 1995, the first exoplanet-planet orbiting another star- was discovered around a sun-like star. Everything we knew about planet formation and evolution was informed by our solar system until then.
Fast forward almost 30 years later, and there are 5000+ exoplanets discovered to date.
It turns out, exoplanets are as diverse  alien as any science-fiction movie.
They come in various shapes and sizes, chemical make-ups, and distances from their stars. Planets don’t like to be tied to the location in which they formed.
They are influencedby the gravitational interactions with their neighbors and could
Migrate inward or outward in their orbit. Out of the 5000+ planets discovered, there is one particular size missing…

So, who is killing off these planets?

Speakers: Madelyn Broome & Arcelia Hermosillo Ruiz