Hledání planet mimo naši sluneční soustavu je klíčové pro zodpovězení zřejmě nejzávažnější otázky, jakou si lidstvo klade: Existuje život i jinde ve vesmíru? Observatoře ESO jsou vybaveny jedinečným arzenálem přístrojů k hledání, studiu a monitorování těchto tzv. 'exoplanet' neboli také 'extrasolárních planet'.
Pomocí Velmi velkého dalekohledu VLT dokázali astronomové poprvé zahlédnout slaboučký svit planety mimo naší sluneční soustavu a pořídili úplně první snímek exoplanety (viz tiskové zprávy ESO eso0428 a eso0515). Tento 'nový svět' je obrovský – jde o planetu asi pětkrát hmotnější než Jupiter. Nicméně její pozorování znamená první významný krok k dosažení jednoho z nejdůležitějších cílů moderní astrofyziky: charakterizovat fyzikální strukturu i chemické složení nejprve obřích a posléze i Zemi podobných planet. Viz tisková zpráva ESO Press Release eso0507. Dalekohled VLT však hrál velmi důležitou roli také při objevu systému sedmi Zemi-podobných planet, které obíhají kolem hvězdy TRAPPIST-1 vzdálené pouhých 40 světelných set od Slunce. Tři z planet tohoto systému obíhají v takzvané obyvatelné zóně a na jejich povrchu by mohly existovat vodní oceány, tím se zvyšuje pravděpodobnost, že by se v tomto systému mohl vyskytovat také život. Tento systém obsahuje dosud nejvyšší známý počet Zemi-podobných planet a také největší počet těles, která by mohla nést kapalnou vodu na povrchu. Viz Tisková zpráva: eso1706.
Pomocí spektrografu HARPS (High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher) pro měření radiálních rychlostí objevili astronomové dokonce čtyři planety obíhající kolem blízké hvězdy, jejichž hmotnost nepřevyšuje hmotnost Neptunu, včetně jedné planety o hmotnosti dvojnásobku hmotnosti Země – zatím nejmenší, jaká byla kdy objevena. Je mezi nimi i planeta sedminásobně hmotnější než Země, která se nachází v obyvatelné zóně u své mateřské hvězdy a oběhne ji zhruba za 66 dnů. Astronomové se domnívají, že tato planeta je pokryta oceánem – že je to vodní svět. Jde o přelomový výsledek při hledání planet, na nichž by mohl být život. Viz vedecká zpráva ESO Science Release eso0915. S pomocí spektrografu HARPS astronomové rovněž objevili známky planety obíhající kolem Slunci nejbližší sousední hvězdy, Proxima Centauri. Tento kamenný svět, jen o málo hmotnější než Země, má povrchovou teplotu vhodnou pro existenci kapalné vody. Viz Tisková zpráva: eso1629.
Další teleskop na La Silla, využívající novátorskou metodu tzv. mikročočkování, se zapojil do sítě teleskopů rozmístěných po celé Zemi. Touto spoluprací se podařilo objevit novou extrasolární planetu výrazně podobnější Zemi, než je jakákoli jiná z dosud objevených. Tato planeta, jejíž hmotnost dosahuje přibližně jen pětinásobku hmotnosti Země, oběhne kolem své mateřské hvězdy jednou za zhruba 10 let a téměř určitě má kamenný a/nebo ledový povrch. Viz vedecká zpráva ESO Science Release eso0603.
K dispozici je speciální brožurka o exoplanetách (v angličtině).
"Slaboučké signály, které dokáže detekovat HARPS, by většina dnes dostupných spektrografů neuměla odlišit od prostého šumu."
Icy Exoplanet (artist's impression)
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