Eric B. Ford

Extrasolar Planetary Systems - Planetary Dynamics - Planet Formation - Exoplanet Searches - Modeling Stars & Planets - Astrobiology - Astrostatistics - High Performance Computing

Press Coverage of Our Research

[ An artists depiction of the Kepler-47 system. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle ]

Kepler-47: A Transiting Circumbinary Multiplanet System

Two planets ... Two stars: Nasa detects strange new solar system : Daily Mail, August 30, 2012
Tatooine Now: NASA Finds Planet Orbiting Binary Star System : Time, August 29, 2012
Astronomers spot multiplanet system with 2 'suns': CBC News, August 29, 2012
Astronomers Find Double-Planet, Double-Star System: Wired Science, August 29, 2012
Alien planets found with twin suns like Luke Skywalker's homeworld: August 29, 2012
Kepler Space Telescope Discovers Tatooine-Like Twin Star/Twin Planet System: Slate, August 29, 2012
Double Planets Found Orbiting Twin Stars: National Geographic Daily News, August 29, 2012
NASA Finds Multiple Planets Circling Binary Star System: Forbes, August 29, 2012
Tatooine-like double-star systems can host planets: BBC News, August 29, 2012

[ Diagrams comparing Kepler-47 system to solar system. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle ]

Astrophile: Two planets with two suns up odds for life: New Scientist, August 29, 2012
'Star Wars' planetary system found: ABC Science, August 29, 2012
In a first, astronomers see two planets orbiting binary stars: LA Times, August 28, 2012
Exoplanet pair orbits two stars: Science News, August 28, 2012
How 'Tatooine' Planets Orbit Twin Stars of Kepler-47: Space.com, August 28. 2012
NASA's Kepler Discovers Multiple Planets Orbiting a Pair of Stars: NASA Press Release, August 28, 2012

The Neptune-Sized Circumbinary Planet Kepler-38b

Kepler-38: the Galaxy's Count of Binary Stars with Planets is Increasing: NASA Press Release, August 20, 2012

Transit Timing Observations from Kepler: VII. Confirmation of 27 planets in 13 multiplanet systems via Transit Timing Variations and orbital stability

Kepler space telescope adds 41 planets to its lengthening list: NBCNews.com, August 20, 2012
41 New Transiting Planets in Kepler Field of View: NASA Feature, August 22, 2012
Data confirm 41 more exoplanets: UPI, August 24, 2012

[ Artist impression of hot-Jupiter next to star. Credit: ESA, NASA and G. Tinetti (University College London/ESA) ]

Kepler constraints on planets near hot Jupiters

Hot Jupiters oust their Sibligns: New Scientist, May 7, 2012
Hot Jupiters prefer to go it alone: ABC, May 8, 2012
Planet systems with 'hot Jupiters' pulverise innocent strays: The Register, May 8, 2012
Lonely Planets: Hot Jupiters Are Isolated: Scientific American blog, May 7, 2012
Earthlike planets unlikely around stars with 'hot Jupiters': MSNBC, May 7, 2012
Hot Jupiters Are Loners: ScienceNOW, May 7, 2012
Some giant planets in other systems most likely to be alone: UF press release, May 7, 2012.

[ Dust ring around Fomalhaut from ALMA (orange) and HST (blue) Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) Visible light image NASA/ESA HST Boley et al. 2012 ]

Constraining the Planetary System of Fomalhaut Using High-Resolution ALMA Images

ALMA's First Results Tackle the Controversial Fomalhaut: Astrobites, April 15, 2012
How Planets Paint Rings Around Stars: Time, April 11, 2012
New ALMA Images Stoke Exoplanet Flame: Sky & Telescope, April 10, 2012
Why all the fuss over a star called Fomalhaut?: Al Jazeera, April 29, 2012
Weird Super-Earths Foudn Orbiting Neighbor Star: Discovery News, April 13, 2012
Star Sacrifies 2,000 comets a Day to Cloack Twin Planets in Dust: Ice cloud hid worlds from boffins - until now: The Register, April 13, 2012
Snowball's chance in hell: Deadly game of 'galactic dodgems' around nearby star crushes 2000 icy comets into dust every day: Daily Mail, April 13, 2012
ALMA reveals workings of nearby planetary system: Astronomy.com, April 13, 2012

Planets' gravity tidies stellar ring: Science News, April 6, 2012
New Evidence For Fomalhaut Planets: Universe Today, April 15, 2012
ALMA Observations of Fomalhaut: David Rodriguez Blog, April 3, 2012
UF-led team uses new observatory to characterize low-mass planets orbiting nearby star: UF press release, April 12, 2012
ALMA Reveals Workings of Nearby Planetary System: ESO press release, April 12, 2012 [with translations] [video] [ALMA PR, NRAO PR, JAO PR]

NASA'S Kepler Mission Announces 11 Planetary Systems Hosting 26 Planets:
Kepler-23 & 24, Kepler-25, 26, 27 & 28, Kepler-29, 30, 31 & 32 and Kepler-33

NASA mission piles on the planets: MSNBC, January 26, 2012 [w/ video]

[ Systems with Multiple Transiting planets Credit NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech ]

NASA's Keplar Spacecraft Finds 11 New Solar Systems, 26 Planets: Mashable, January 27, 2012 [video]
Planet-hunting space telescope nets jackpot: January 27, 2012
Kepler uncovers planetary menagerie: Nature News Blog, Janary 27, 2012
La nave Kepler descubre 26 nuevos planetas orbitando en torno a 11 estrellas: El Munod, January 27, 2012 (spanish)
NASA Telescope Discovers 26 Alien Planets Around 11 Different Stars: Space.com, January 26, 2012
Kepler finds 11 new solar systems beyond our own: Spaceflight Now, January 26, 2012
Kepler team confirms 11 more planetary systems, 26 planets: CNN, January 26, 2012
NASA feature story: January 26, 2012
University of Florida press release: January 26, 2012
University of California, Santa Cruz press release: January 26, 2012

Astronomers Honored for Excellence in Research

AAS press release, January 18, 2012

[ Graphic Illustrating Kepler-20 planets Credit NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech ]

The Kepler-19 System: A Transiting 2.2 R_Earth Planet and a Second Planet Detected via Transit Timing Variations

Hidden Worlds: Astronomers Find Invisible Planet 650 Light-Years Away: Time, September 9, 2011.
Astronomers Discover 'Invisible' Planet With New Technique: International Business Times, September 9, 2011.
Transit planet search reveals doubly-tilted solar sytem: USA Today, September 9, 2011.
NASA's Kepler spacecraft finds "invisible world": Digital Journal.com, September 8, 2011.
"Invisible" planet discovered with new technique: Kepler probe detects alien world by its gravitational influence on a neighbor: MSNBC.com, September 8, 2011
Stealth Alien Planet Discovered By New Technique: Space.com, September 8, 2011
"Invisible World" Discovered: CfA Press release, September 8, 2011

American Astronomical Society Division of Planet Sciences 2011 Harold C. Urey Prize in Planetary Science

UF Spotlight: August 19, 2011.
UF Press release: May 19, 2011.
DPS 2011 Planetary Science Prize Winners Announced: AAS DPS Press Release, May 19, 2011

[ Graphic Illustrating Kepler-11 system Credit NASA/Tim Pyle ]

A closely packed system of low-mass, low-density planets transiting Kepler-11

Scientists Discover Solar System With 6 Planets: AOL News, February 2, 2011
Sun-Like Star With Six Planets Is Found 2,000 Light-Years Away: Bloomberg News, February 2, 2011
NASA Finds Six-Planet Solar System: International Business Times, February 3, 2011.
NASA hails 'amazing' exoplanetary system: The Register, February 3, 2011
Clues may lurk near a far star: Detroit Free Press, February 6, 2011.
UF research team discovers six planets: Alligator, February 3, 2011.
Kepler-11 and Life on Other Planets: The Fresh Outlook, March 20, 2011.
UF astronomers, NASA team find six closely packed planets orbiting same star: UF Press Release, February 2, 2011.

[ Graphic Illustrating Transit Spectroscopy. Credit ESA w/ adaptations by David Sing ]

Probing potassium in the atmosphere of HD 80606b with tunable filter transit spectrophotometry from the Gran Telescopio Canarias

GTC OSIRIS Transiting Exoplanet Atmospheric Survey: Detection of potassium in XO-2b from spectrophotometry

Potasio exoplanetario: Eureka (Spanish blog), September 7, 2010.
New Technique Finds Gaseous Metals in Exoplanet Atmospheres: Wired Science, August 31, 2010.
The GTC's OSIRIS instrument make first detection of the presence of potassium on planets outside our solar system: Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias Press Release (Spanish only), September, 1, 2010.
With new technique, UF astronomers find potassium in giant planet's atmosphere: UF Press Release, August 31, 2010.
Breakthrough in the study of far-off planet atmospheres: Exeter University Press Release, August 31, 2010.
Atmosphere of Far Worlds Probed with New Technique and Large Telescope: Penn State University, August 31, 2010.

Kepler-9: A system of multiple planets transitting a Sun-like star, confirmed by timing variations

Modeling Kepler transit light curves as false positives: Rejection of blend scenarios for KOI-377, and strong evidence for a super-Earth-size planet in a multiple system

[ Graphics of Kepler-9 and TTV Method. Credit NASA ]

WUFT, August 30, 2010.
Recipe for a planetary system: Inside Nova, August 27, 2010.
Planet Hunters Bag Systems With Super-Earths and Double Saturns: Wired Science, August 26, 2010.
Kepler telescope finds two planets & a possible new use: Christian Science Monitor, August 26, 2010.
Astronomers Identify Two New Solar Systems: NPR, August 27, 2010.
Kepler Telescope Detects Possible Earth-Size Planet: New York Times, August 26, 2010.
Kepler spies Saturn-sized worlds: BBC News, August, 26, 2010.
Planets' clockwork goes crazy: MSNBC.com, August 26, 2010.
Kepler space telescope finds pair of distant planets, NASA says: CNN.com, August 26, 2010.
NASA Discovers Two New Planets Transiting the Same Star and New Planets (a Lot of Them) in the Cosmic Family: Time, August 26 & 27, 2010.

[Artist impression of Kepler spacecraft with distant solar system. Credit NASA/Kepler mission/Wendy Stenzel ]

Kepler probe finds two Saturn-sized planets orbiting a single star 2,000 light years away: Daily Mail, August 26, 2010.
NASA'S Kepler spacecraft discovers planetary system with 'transiting' planets: Washington Post, August 26, 2010.
Two Exoplanets in an Interactive Dance: Sky & Telescope, August 26, 2010.
Newfound Alien Planets May Include Smallest One Yet: Space.com, August 26, 2010.
Synchronised planets could help weigh alien Earths: New Scientist, August 26, 2010.
With Two New Saturns, Kepler Starts Its 'Top 400' Countdown: Science Now Daily News, August 26, 2010.
Astronomers find two large planets, plus possible super-Earth-size one: UF Press Release, August 26, 2010.
NASA's Kepler Mission Discovers Two Planets Transiting the Same Star: NASA News conference, press release & graphics, August 26, 2010.

Retired A Stars and Their Companions VI. A Pair of Interacting Exoplanet Pairs Around the Subgiants 24 Sextanis and HD200964

[ Illustration of two planet system. Credit: NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech ]

Dance of the planets gets intimate: Discovery News.com, July 30, 2010.
Dancing Around a Dying Star: Astrobiology Magazine, July 30, 2010
Astronomers find planets locked in 'dance': UPI, July 29, 2010.
Alien planets found locked in close embrace: MSNBC.com, July 28, 2010.
Planets found around dying star: Astronomy Now, July 28, 2010.
Alien Planets Gather Close Around Dying Star : Space.com, July 28, 2010.
Caltech Astronomer Finds Planets in Unusually Intimate Dance around Dying Star: Caltech press release, July 28, 2010.

Characterizing Transiting Extrasolar Planets with Narrow-Band Photometry and GTC/OSIRIS

[Picture of Gran Telescopio Canarias. Credit Pablo Bonet

Finding New Planets: WJCB Technology Spotlight, July 13, 2010.
UF astronomers pioneer new planet-observing technique: UF press release, June 24, 2010.
The GTC pioneers a new technique for observing planets: IAC press release, June 24, 2010 (spanish version)

Five Kepler target stars that show multiple transiting exoplanet candidates

A Tidal Wave of Exoplanet Candidates: Sky & Telescope.com, June 17, 2010
NASA finds potential planetary bonanza: CBC News, June 16, 2010
Latest Kepler data includes over 700 exoplanet candidates: Ars Technica, June 16, 2010
Kepler Craft Reports Apparent Planetary Bonanza: US News & World Report, June 16, 2010

An avalanche of alien planets: MSNBC, June 15, 2010
Mass Transits: Kepler Mission Releases Data on Hundreds of Possible Exoplanets: Scientific American, June 16, 2010
NASA: Neptune-sized planets orbiting other stars: USA Today, June 15, 2010
Kepler craft reports apparent planetary bonanza: Science News, July 3, 2010.

Quantifying the Challenges of Detecting Unseen Planetary Companions with Transit Timing Variations

The inverse problem: Systemic blog, June 13, 2009

[ Graphic adapted from Winn et al. 2009 by Greg Laughlin ]

The Transit Ingress and the Tilted Orbit of the Extraordinarily Eccentric Exoplanet HD 80606b

Storm Worlds: Alien Wind on National Geographic Channel, May 2010.
WUFT. September 30, 2009.
WCJB TV-20 (ABC Affiliate). September 28, 2009.
One Planet, Two Parents?: ScienceNow Daily News, October 6, 2009.
A Small Observatory Helps with a Big Discovery: Astro Guyz Blog, October 2, 2009
Exoplanet Transits: Maxing Out Our Resources: Centauri Dreams, September 29, 2009.
Tiny telescope, big observations: Gainesville Sun, September 28, 2009.
Sea level stargazing: Astronomers make key sighting with Florida telescope: UF Press Release, September 28, 2009.
Extrasolar Planets at Full Tilt: New Scientist, August 24, 2009.
Latest '606 news: Systemic blog, July 30, 2009

UF astronomy team among first to use massive new telescope

World's Largest Telescope Unveiled: National Geographic, August 6, 2009
Descubrimiento unico: La Opinion de Tenerife, July 25, 2009 (Spanish only)
A view to the stars: Gainesville Sun, July 25, 2009
Astronomers queuing to see the Grantecan: El Dia, July 20, 2009 (Spanish only)
Astronomers, royalty, rock stars to inaugurate world's largest telescope: UF Press Release, July 13, 2009
Checking Out Stars on Worlds Largest Telescope: ABC News, July 1, 2009
UF astronomy team among first to use massive new telescope: UF Press Release, June 18, 2009
El 'Grantecan' empieza a cazar galaxias: Europa Press, June 17, 2009 (Spanish only)
The Gran Telescopio Canarias starts to produce its first scientific data: IAC Press Release, June 17, 2009 (Spanish only)

Parallel Algorithm for Solving Kepler's Equation on Graphics Processing Units: Application to Analysis of Doppler Exoplanet Searches

Kepler's Equation: 2009 Edition: Systemic (UCSC Astronomy's Prof. Greg Laughlin's blog), December 24, 2008.

Identifying the Rotation Rate and the Presence of Dynamic Weather on Extrasolar Earth-Like Planets from Photometric Observations

[Picture of crescent Earth from space with glint marked in yellow. Credit NASA/Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington ]

Ocean Glints Could Reveal Alien Planets: Space.com, August 7, 2008
Twinkle, Twinkle, Alien Ocean: Astrobiology Magazine, August 7, 2008
Distant Mirrors: Seed Magazine, May/June 2008
Checking the Weather of Alien Planets: Optics & Photomics Focus, March 9, 2008
Astronomers ponder Earth from E.T.'s perspective: Ottawa Citizen, January 4, 2008
Saben 'ellos' que hay vida aqui: Publico (Madrid), December 28, 2007
Tierra: solo un pixel vista por un extraterrestre: United Press International (Buenos Aires), December 26, 2007
Exoplanetary Weather: From a Single Pixel: Centauri Dreams, December 24, 2007
Aliens may be watching us: Sydney Morning Herald (via Australian Associated Press), December 24, 2007
Nubes revelan misterios celestes: Prensa Libre (Guatemala), December 24, 2007
La tierra seria solo un pixel vista por un extraterrestre: El Pais (Madrid), December 24, 2007
Aliens have eyes on us: Web India, December 22, 2007
Could An ExtraTerrestrial Find Earth with a Telescope?: Slashdot, December 22, 2007
What Alien Telescopes Would See, Looking At Earth and Earth as Alien Planet: Wired Science, December 21 and 23, 2007
Aliens 'obsessed with Earth's weather': UK Daily Telegraph, December 21, 2007
Alien astronomers could discern Earth's features: New Scientist, December 21, 2007 (my favorite)
Story in Science Times (China), December 21, 2007
Las nubes pueden ser una herramienta para buscar planetas habitables: Levante EMV (Valencia), December 21, 2007
Pueden las nubes buscar planetas: Novedades (Cancun), December 21, 2007
Las nubes pueden servir para buscar planetas habitables: Antena 3 Noticias (Madrid), December 20, 2007
MIT, others ask 'What would E.T. see?': MIT press release, December 20, 2007 (Spanish version via Axxon.com)
An extraterrestrial's view of the Earth: Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias press release, December 20, 2007 (Spanish Version)
To curious aliens, Earth would stand out as living planet: UF Press release, December 20, 2007

[ Simulation of Trojan Planet Formation. Credit Greg Laughlin ]

Observational Constraints on Trojans of Transiting Extrasolar Planets

Extrasolar Trojans: Systemic (UCSC Astronomy's Prof. Greg Laughlin's blog), October 11, 2006.

Planet-Planet Scattering in Upsilon Andromedae

Apsidal: Systemic (UCSC Astronomy's Prof. Greg Laughlin's blog), November 7, 2006
Scattered Planet: Sky & Telescope, August 2005
How planet orbits became so eccentric: Observer Online, April 28, 2005
Researchers say key to life may lie in planets' orbits: Daily Northwestern, April 22, 2005
Mystery of extrasolar planets' eccentric orbits: Spaceflight Now, April 19, 2005
A Planetary Family Feud: Kansas City Infozine, April 18, 2005.
Explaining Eccentricities: Astrobiology Magazine, April 15, 2005.
Planetary Billiards: Astronomy Magazine, April 14, 2005.
The Eccentric Orbits of Extrasolar Planets: Red Orbit News, April 14, 2005.
Mystery solved: How the orbits of extrasolar planets became so eccentric: Northwest University Press Release, April 13, 2005.
Wayward planet knocks extrasolar planets for a loop: University of California at Berkeley Press Release, April 13, 2005.
A Planetary Family Feud: NSF Press Release, April 14, 2005.

Early-Type Stars: Most Favorable Targets for Astrometrically Detectable Planets in the Habitable Zone

Hunting for Planets: Columbus Dispatch, August 12, 2003.
Hotter Stars, Habitable Planets?: Astrobiology Magazine, August 2, 2003.
Search for Life Could Include Planets, Stars Unlike Ours: Ohio State University Press Release, August, 2003.

Vegetation's Red Edge: A Possible Spectroscopic Biosignature of Extraterrestrial Plants

The Red Edge: Disover Magazine Blogs: Cosmic Variance, April 22, 2010.
Pale Blue Dot III: An Astrobiological Field Report: Astrobiology Magazine, November 27, 2006.
Astronomers Get the Spectrum of Earthshine: A Pale Blue Dot Observed from the Ground: SpaceRef.com, January 7, 2002.

Characterization of Extrasolar Terrestrial Planets from Diurnal Photometric Variability

Earth from Afar: A Tiny Flickering Dot: Astrobiology News, February 27, 2002
Student sees way to get E.T.'s weather report: San Francisco Chronicle, September 4, 2001.
Other Earths, Philadelphia Inquirer, February 24, 2002
Is There Another Earth Out There For Us To Find?, Boston Globe, September 4, 2001.
Earth's Light Show Is A Clue To Finding Habitable Neighbors: Science Daily, August 30, 2001.
Novo telescopio vai permitir apontar planetas do tipo da Terra: Folha de S.Paulo, August 30, 2001.
Weather On Distant Worlds Could Lead Telescopes to Alien Life: Space.com, August 29, 2001.
Watching weather on Earth-like planets: CNN, August 29, 2001.
Weather watching could identify living planets: New Scientist, August 29, 2001.
Earth's light show is a clue to finding habitable neighbors: SpaceRef.com, August 29, 2001.
Planet-finding Requires Fine-tuning: Princeton Weekly Bulletin, April 16, 2001.

Dynamical Instabilities and the Formation of Extrasolar Planets

[ Illustration of two Planets. Credit Cornel Theory Center ]

Search for New Planets Yields Confusion: New York Times, March 2, 1999.
The Chance of Finding Aliens: Sky & Telescope, December 1998
Worlds Around Other Stars Shake Planet Birth Theory: Science Magazine, May 30, 1997.
CTC Visualizations Help Explain the Mysteries of Deep Space: Cornell Theory Center Press Release, April 7, 1997.
Mysteries of Deep Space - The Search for Alien Worlds: PBS miniseries, April 1997.
Scientists Step Up Search For Extrasolar Planets: New York Times, February 9, 1997.
One way into the hot seat: Science News, November 23, 1996.
MIT Physicists Envision Violent Beginnings for Newly Discovered Planets: MIT News, November 8, 1996.
Cornell supercomputer helps MIT physicists envision violent beginnings of newly discovered planets: Cornell Science News, November 8, 1996.
Planets Prefer Wacky Orbits: NCSA News, October 24, 1996.

Others' Research

Mapping Distant Planet Surfaces Possible: Inside Science, January 29, 2013.
Planets galore: Sept 15, 2011.
Earth-like Planet Discovery Buoys Search for Life: Discovery News, October 1, 2010.
Is there a Moore's law for science?: New Scientist, September 21, 2010.
The New Exoplanetology: "I Learned by Watching You, Earth": Wired, May 29, 2009.
Exoplanet-Mapping Technique Tested on Earth: Sky & Telescope, May 29, 2009.
Spotting Distant Worlds from the Backyard: Time, April 19, 2009.
Alien plants may come in all colours but blue: Nature, April 11, 2007.
Banished Forever: New Scientist, May 9, 2001.