Planet Hunter: Geoff Marcy and the Search for Other Earths
The Keck I telescope peers through the dome opening into the starry night The Keck 1 and Keck IIl telescopes are the largest twin optical telescopes in the world Marcy uses the
Astronomers like Marcy no longer look directly through a telescope eyepiece Instead a device similar to a digital camera records the image in the telescope The image is transmitted to computers for
Jason Mcllroy operates the telescope at the summit Mcllroy and Marcy can see each other by video as they work Marcy is shown in the monitor above Mcllroy's desk Planet Hunter Paul Butler
J Dr Paul Butler hunted planets with Geoff Marcy for years With their team they found about half of the known extrasolar planets What I love about planet hunting are the challenges of improving the system Butler says I also love looking at the stars and knowing that many have planets that I have found I am especially proud of the fact that I have never made a false planet claim Butler figured out how to use iodine gas to sharpen measurements of star movement which made planet detection possible He also helped develop the computer software that analyzes the measurements and pinpoints wobbling stars Planet hunting groups across the world now use this detection system In late 2007 Butler and Dr Steven Vogt the designer and builder of the spectrometers at the Keck and Lick observatories formed their own planet search team I love the fact that with glass steel and silicon chips in effect rocks and sand we have put together a system that can find planets around stars that are light years away he says The time is almost 7 00 pm the beginning of
