Are we alone in the Universe?

For centuries, philosophers and scientists have pondered this question. Now, advances in science and technology have brought us to the threshold of finding an answer to this timeless question.

The recent discovery of numerous extrasolar planets confirms that our solar system is not unique. Indeed, other worlds appear to be common in our galactic neighborhood.

　

The latest Sky Show "In Search of New Worlds" takes the audience through an amazing journey of planet discovery from William Herschel's discovery of the seventh planet, Uranus, of the solar system in 1781 to the recent discovery of more than 100 planets outside our solar system. The show also examines the environment in various planets and focuses on the elements for sustaining life. Innovative methods for detecting planets light years away are introduced. Join us in this discovery trip to venture to the limits of our solar system and far beyond to the "New Worlds".

Uranus, the first planet in our solar system discovered in modern times, was discovered by William Herschel in 1781.

Extrasolar planets are difficult to find as they do not produce light and are lost in the glare of their parent stars. Their existence is inferred indirectly by their effect on their parent stars. When a planet revolves around a star, it pulls the star along. By measuring the Doppler shift of the star as it wobbles, the properties of the hidden companion planet can be inferred.

In June 2002, a large object was found beyond Pluto and was named Quaoar. With a diameter of about 1250 km, it is the largest object found in our solar system since Pluto was discovered in 1930. Yet, it may not be considered as a new planet of our solar system but is a Kuiper Belt object. The Kuiper Belt consists of a disk of icy objects beyond Neptune which are believed to be comet-like debris from the formation of the solar system. More than 500 Kuiper Belt objects were discovered in the last decade including Varuna and 2002AW197 which are both about 900 km in diameter.

Quaoar compared by diameter with other solar system bodies