Dr. Rudolf Dvorak
IoA Vienna

University of Florida Astronomy Colloquium - Aug. 29th, 2007

Terrestrial Planets in Extrasolar Planetary Systems

In this lecture I will discuss the dynamics of hypothetical terrestrial planets in Extrasolar Planetary Systems (EPS) in connection with the so called habitable zone (HZ) around a host star. Although up to now we did not yet find such a planet it is interesting to know where there could exist additional stable orbits in known EPS. Besides the situation like in our own Solar System with giant planets outside the HZ and terrestrial planets inside we will present the results of numerical studies where the giant itself moves in the HZ and terrestrial planets may have stable orbits as Tro jan planets, as satellites or as planets in exchange orbits.