Stability of motion in extrasolar planetary systems
- Author(s)
- Rudolf Dvorak
- Abstract
The discovery of extrasolar planets was and is a big challenge for astronomers because of the very different structure of these systems compared to our Solar System. In some of the extrasolar planetary systems (EPS) we can observe Jupiter-like planets very close to the central star -- even inside Mercury's orbit around the Sun. Many of them -- up to now 147 -- host planets on high eccentric orbits and have masses up to several masses of Jupiter. In this lecture we concentrate on the dynamical state of extrasolar planetary systems and report how planets in multiplanetary systems may stay on stable orbits although their orbits cross. The major part of this review is devoted to the results of investigations with regard to the possibility of EPSs to host terrestrial like planets (TP) in the habitable zone (HZ) around a star. For these -- still fictitious -- planets one can distinguish three principal types: 1st when the giant planet (GP) moves close to the star -- then a TP may move on stable orbits inside the HZ; 2nd when the GP moves far from the star, then we have the same situation like in our Solar System; 3rd when the GP itself moves inside the HZ, then a terrestrial satellite or a trojan planet may exist. Future space missions will show whether we may observe such interesting systems with terrestrial planets.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Astrophysics
- Journal
- Publications of the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade
- Volume
- 80
- Pages
- 13-27
- No. of pages
- 15
- ISSN
- 0373-3742
- Publication date
- 2006
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 1030 Physics, Astronomy
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/182fb4d9-0a6d-46d1-a845-a92f6d90a265