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Ruth Titz-Weider is part of the SPP 1992 coordination office. She is responsible for the SPP 1992 outreach activities and organisation of teacher training.

What fascinates me about this work?

In 1995, the first exoplanet was found around a sun-like star – now, April 2024, there are almost 6000. Last year, on average, a new planet was discovered every day! All students and young scientists interested in the exciting field of exoplanets have already grown up with non-fiction books or media describing the existence of planets outside our solar system.

From the very beginning, this discovery was linked to the question: is there a planet somewhere out there with life as we know it? And many articles – whether online or in traditional media – have appeared that leave almost no doubt: “There is a second Earth” was the headline of the Tagesspiegel in April 2007.

But the question of an Earth-like planet or a second Earth is a difficult one. If you think about it just a little, it becomes clear that many of the planet’s properties have to be “right” in order to be able to speak of a life-friendly celestial body. Radius and mass, atmosphere and magnetic field, plate tectonics and carbon cycle are just a few of these aspects.

I see it as a very important task to convey this depth, at least to some extent, and to awaken enthusiasm for this field of research, a kind of obligation to the interested public. Hence my involvement in the outreach programme of the SPP 1992, especially in teacher training.

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Oben sieht man, wie das licht eines Sterns durch ein stilisiertes Prisma in seine Farben aufgebrochen wird. Daneben das ungestörte Sternenlichtspektrum in Diagrammform. Unten fällt das Sternenlicht erst durch die Atmosphäre eines Sterns, bevor es durch das Prisma aufgefächert wird. Einige Linien in dem Farbspektrum sind schwarz. Danabene das auf diese Art beeinflusste Sternenpektrum in Diagrammform, mit gut sichtbaren Absorptionslineien.

Observing exo-atmospheres

by | Nov 20, 2024 | All,All about exoplanets,Detection methods | 0 Comments

How can we learn about the atmosphere of an exoplanet?

Spectroscopy

by | May 8, 2024 | All,All about exoplanets,Detection methods | 0 Comments

What is a light spectrum and what can it tell us about exoplanets?

Exoplanet systems

by | Feb 12, 2024 | All,All about exoplanets,Multiple planet systems | 0 Comments

How do extrasolar planetary systems differ from the Solar System?

Astrometry

by | Mar 10, 2023 | All,Astrometry,Detection methods | 0 Comments

What can determining the exact position of a star tell us about a possible planet?

Direct Imaging

by | Mar 10, 2023 | All,Detection methods,Direct Imaging | 0 Comments

Why is it so difficult to see an exoplanet directly, even with powerful telescopes?

Gravitational lensing

by | Mar 10, 2023 | All,Detection methods,Gravitational lensing | 0 Comments

How can Einstein’s theory of relativity help to find planets that are otherwise undetectable?

Transit method

by | Mar 10, 2023 | All,Detection methods,Transit method | 0 Comments

How can measuring the brightness of a host star reveal the existence of a planet?

Radial velocity method

by | Mar 10, 2023 | All,Detection methods,Radial velocity | 0 Comments

How does an exoplanet interact with its star and how can we use this?

Neptune-sized planets

by | Mar 9, 2023 | All,All about exoplanets,Exoplanet types,Neptune-sized | 0 Comments

Why are there so few medium-sized exoplanets close to their host star?