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The quest continues The quest continues
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Are planetary systems commonplace? Are planetary systems commonplace?
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The making of planets The making of planets
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The moon’s origin revisited The moon’s origin revisited
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Small bodies yield their secrets Small bodies yield their secrets
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More missions More missions
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For Further Reference For Further Reference
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Afterword to the 2017 edition
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Published:May 2017
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The quest continues
Science is a voyage of discovery, a lasting quest to find the truth, with many twists and turns along the way. Planetary science—the study of how planetary systems form and evolve—is no exception. In fact, a great deal has happened in the few short years since we first wrote this book. Many new discoveries have been made by space missions, by astronomers using telescopes, and by researchers in laboratories using computers. These discoveries have naturally influenced the way we think about our solar system and how it formed. Some discoveries have confirmed previous predictions while others have forced researchers to modify their theories. Occasionally, a discovery has thrown open a new window, greatly increasing the range of possible scenarios. This afterword is a brief tour of some recent discoveries and what they might mean.
Are planetary systems commonplace?
One of the greatest breakthroughs of recent years is the discovery that our solar system is not alone. As of late 2016, astronomers have found more than three thousand planets orbiting other stars. The new “extrasolar” planets have a wide variety of orbits and masses. Surprisingly, most of these systems look very different from the solar system. Often, the newly discovered planets travel on orbits very close to their star, much closer than Mercury is to the Sun. Researchers think some or all of these planets formed at larger distances and then migrated inwards. It is still unclear why the same thing did not happen in the solar system. The degree to which a planet migrates probably depends on when and where it forms and some planets may avoid migration altogether. As our census of extrasolar planets improves over time, we should get a better sense of whether systems like our own are quite common or truly unusual.
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