Solar System / en In search of other worlds: Astronomer explores how planets form and evolve /news/search-other-worlds-astronomer-explores-how-planets-form-and-evolve <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">In search of other worlds: Astronomer explores how planets form and evolve</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-07/GettyImages-1354937085-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=aurBOIuJ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2023-07/GettyImages-1354937085-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=FVLfi3HU 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2023-07/GettyImages-1354937085-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=l2qqINfX 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-07/GettyImages-1354937085-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=aurBOIuJ" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>siddiq22</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-07-20T15:16:57-04:00" title="Thursday, July 20, 2023 - 15:16" class="datetime">Thu, 07/20/2023 - 15:16</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>(photo by&nbsp;rbkomar/Getty Images)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/dan-falk" hreflang="en">Dan Falk</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/astronomy-astrophysics" hreflang="en">Astronomy &amp; Astrophysics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/planets" hreflang="en">Planets</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/solar-system" hreflang="en">Solar System</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-toronto-mississauga" hreflang="en">91³Ō¹Ļ Mississauga</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Assistant Professor Marta Bryan is studying the properties of exoplanets to better understand how our planet and species fit into the larger universe</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>It wasnā€™t that long ago that astronomers only knew of eight planets&nbsp;(nine before Plutoā€™s demotion back in 2006) ā€“ those here in our own solar system. Now we know of nearly 10,000 planets orbiting stars beyond our sun ā€“ known as exoplanets&nbsp;ā€“ and that flood of new worlds has ushered in something of a golden age for planetary scientists.</p> <p>For astronomers like <a href="https://www.astro.utoronto.ca/~marta.bryan/"><strong>Marta Bryan</strong></a>, an assistant professor at the 91³Ō¹Ļ Mississauga and in the <a href="http://www.astro.utoronto.ca/">David A. Dunlap department of astronomy and astrophysics</a> in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science, it means thereā€™s no better time to be studying these distant worlds.</p> <p>ā€œThis is such a dynamic field,ā€ says Bryan, who joined 91³Ō¹Ļ in January after four years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley. Studying the properties of exoplanets provides ā€œa unique opportunity to put ourselves and our world in the broadest of contexts ā€“ how does our solar system, our planet and our species fit into our universe?ā€</p> <p>Bryan, who specializes in the study of&nbsp;planetary formation and evolution, was recently awarded the <a href="https://aas.org/grants-and-prizes/annie-jump-cannon-award-astronomy">Annie Jump Cannon Award</a> from the American Astronomical Society for her work on exoplanets.</p> <p>As the tally of exoplanets began to grow, astronomers noticed how diverse planetary systems appear to be, with planets varying widely in size, composition and surface temperature. Some orbit very close to their host stars, while others follow orbits comparable to the Earthā€™s, or to the giant outer planets in our solar system.</p> <p>ā€œWeā€™ve found thousands of exoplanets, with a huge diversity of properties,ā€ Bryan says. ā€œFor me, one of the driving goals in the field is to understand where that diversity comes from. What does the process of planet formation and evolution look like?ā€</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2023-07/0512MartaBryan006-crop.jpg?itok=CckTnCuH" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Marta Bryan uses a range of observational techniques to detect and characterize gas giant planets outside our solar system to explore how planetary systems form and evolve (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>While much research on exoplanets has focused on the search for Earth-like worlds, Bryan is interested in gas giant planets, analogous to Jupiter and Saturn in our own solar system. Thatā€™s because their sheer heft means they play an important role in determining how smaller planets in the same system evolve.</p> <p>As Bryan puts it, gas giant planets ā€œdominate the dynamicsā€ of whatever system theyā€™re in. Which means that learning about gas giants can, in fact, help us understand something about Earth-like planets ā€“ worlds whose evolution may have been affected by the presence of these much more massive bodies.</p> <p>As a result, Bryan says, ā€œgas giant planets are an obvious place to start if we want to understand the physics of planet formation.ā€</p> <p>The gas giant planets in our own solar system are thought to have played a crucial role over the past five billion years. Jupiter, for example, is believed to have migrated inward before reversing direction and ending up in its current position. Jupiterā€™s foray into the inner part of the solar system is thought to have stunted the growth of the inner planets, particularly Mars, by scattering some of the gas and dust that might otherwise have been gravitationally pulled toward the red planet.</p> <p>ā€œWe think that Jupiter and Saturn played a dominant role in the early history of our solar system, helping to shape the formation and evolution of our terrestrial planets,ā€ Bryan says.&nbsp;ā€œAs a result, we want to understand in the broader extrasolar context what role gas-giant analogs to Jupiter and Saturn have played in shaping the lives of terrestrial worlds.ā€</p> <p>The future looks bright&nbsp;ā€“ data from the <a href="https://webb.nasa.gov/">James Webb Space Telescope</a> is already pouring in. Bryan is especially excited about large, ground-based telescopes with mirrors up to 30 metres across, which are currently being planned. These next-generation telescopes may even reveal ā€œbiosignaturesā€ on other worlds ā€“ signs of life that can be inferred from the composition of a planetā€™s atmosphere.</p> <p>And if astronomers do end up finding conclusive evidence of life beyond our own planet, such a discovery&nbsp;ā€œwould definitely be transformational,ā€ Bryan says.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 20 Jul 2023 19:16:57 +0000 siddiq22 302318 at #UofTGrad18 and Toronto Pride: Check out these June events /news/uoftgrad18-and-toronto-pride-check-out-these-june-events <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">#UofTGrad18 and Toronto Pride: Check out these June events </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/June-events-main-1140-x-760.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=AEj_Pi9q 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/June-events-main-1140-x-760.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=21F8V9uy 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/June-events-main-1140-x-760.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=OONd0WZv 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/June-events-main-1140-x-760.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=AEj_Pi9q" alt="Photo of convocation"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Romi Levine</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-06-01T00:00:00-04:00" title="Friday, June 1, 2018 - 00:00" class="datetime">Fri, 06/01/2018 - 00:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">This year's convocation ceremonies begin on June 7 (photo by Romi Levine)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/romi-levine" hreflang="en">Romi Levine</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2018" hreflang="en">Convocation 2018</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-stories" hreflang="en">Graduate Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/computer-science" hreflang="en">Computer Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation" hreflang="en">Convocation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/pride" hreflang="en">Pride</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/solar-system" hreflang="en">Solar System</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/soldiers-tower" hreflang="en">Soldiers Tower</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">91³Ō¹Ļ Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">91³Ō¹Ļ Scarborough</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In less than a week, the 91³Ō¹Ļ will once again be abuzz with students from all three campuses, sporting robes of all stripes, as they mark an important milestone in their academic career:&nbsp;convocation.</p> <p>At the same time, LGBTQ Torontonians and their allies will be painting the city rainbow as they kick off this yearā€™s Pride festivities, taking place at 91³Ō¹Ļ and beyond.</p> <p>Thereā€™s much to celebrate this month and plenty of events to choose from. Here are just a few of them:</p> <h3>June 1</h3> <p>Itā€™s the beginning of Pride month in Toronto ā€“ launching on all three campuses with the raising of the Pride flag.</p> <p>Attend the ceremony on your campus: <a href="http://sgdo.utoronto.ca/event/pride-flag-raising-ceremony/">downtown Toronto</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/UTMEDO/status/1002195306077933569">91³Ō¹Ļ Mississauga</a>, with a transgender flag-raising ceremony at <a href="https://twitter.com/PositiveUTSC/status/1001459085852758016">91³Ō¹Ļ Scarborough</a> on Saturday.</p> <p>Catch up with old classmates at this yearā€™s <a href="https://alumnireunion.utoronto.ca/events/find">Alumni Reunion</a>, taking place from now until June 3, featuring lunches and brunches galore and stress-free lectures on everything from dinosaurs to life on other planets.&nbsp;</p> <h3>June 2</h3> <p>91³Ō¹Ļā€™s Faculty of Medicine is diving deep into the&nbsp;<a href="https://alumnireunion.utoronto.ca/events/find?search=cannabis">issue of the health implications of cannabis at a panel event</a>&nbsp;in conjunction with the launch of <em>UofTMed </em>magazineā€™s latest edition.</p> <h3>June 3</h3> <p>Throughout the month, graduate&nbsp;students are invited to <a href="https://twitter.com/UofTGradRoom/status/996832957259186176">share their accomplishments</a> on a chalkboard at the Grad Room on 66 Harbord St. as a way of reflecting on all of the great achievements and hard work that goes into graduate studies. Give yourself a pat on the back&nbsp;while youā€™re at it!</p> <h3>June 5</h3> <p>More than 1,000 elementary school students will be descending on 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s downtown Toronto campus for <a href="http://news.engineering.utoronto.ca/go-north-inspires-1200-future-innovators/">Go North Youth</a> ā€“ the largest STEM event in Canada. Fifty classes from across the GTA of students from Grades 3 to 8 will be participating in a day of fun and learning with experts from 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering and the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science, Google and Actua, Canadaā€™s largest STEM outreach charity.</p> <h3>June 7</h3> <p>Itā€™s the first day of convocation ā€“ <a href="http://www.convocation.utoronto.ca/events">check the events calendar</a> for the full list of ceremony dates.</p> <p>Make sure you head to the polls today to join Ontarians in deciding who will become our next premier. Haven't made your mind up yet? 91³Ō¹Ļ Libraries has rounded up <a href="https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/news/uoftvotes-top-10-tips-ontario-election-voters">10 tips to help you make an informed vote</a>. Be sure to drop by the <a href="https://twitter.com/uoftlibraries/status/1001889891444289538">engagement station</a> on the second floor of Robarts Library.</p> <p>Head to the Jackman Law Building for <a href="http://www.odlc.utoronto.ca/index.php?option=com_jevents&amp;task=icalrepeat.detail&amp;evid=4777&amp;Itemid=65&amp;year=2018&amp;month=06&amp;day=07&amp;title=an-undiscovered-campus-tour-the-jackman-law-building&amp;uid=f9802218460c26847ffe9a40eb30db96&amp;catids=46">a tour of&nbsp;its public spaces</a>, including the Bora Laskin Law Library, classrooms and meeting rooms.</p> <h3>June 8</h3> <p>The annual <a href="http://sgdo.utoronto.ca/event/2018-u-t-pride-pub/">Pride pub</a> takes place this evening in the Hart House Quad. Come for the BBQ, drinks and good company and dance the night away with DJs and performers.</p> <p>You'll hear the carillon bells during convocation, but <a href="http://www.odlc.utoronto.ca/index.php?option=com_jevents&amp;task=icalrepeat.detail&amp;evid=4778&amp;Itemid=65&amp;year=2018&amp;month=06&amp;day=08&amp;title=an-undiscovered-campus-tour-soldiers-tower-carillon-bells&amp;uid=5f3798a3d7cce0228f65fccf31caeff0&amp;catids=46">this tour of&nbsp;Soldiers' Tower</a> is a chance to see them up close and meet a carillonneur.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt="pride and 91³Ō¹Ļ flags" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__8470 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/flag-750-x-500.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <em>The Pride, 91³Ō¹Ļ and Varsity flags flying together on the downtown Toronto campus&nbsp;(photo by Romi Levine)</em></p> <h3>June 10</h3> <p>Need to get away from&nbsp;Front Campus crowds? Come to the <a href="https://bookit.studentlife.utoronto.ca/Activity.aspx?ID=B1106CAC-3AD0-4C84-A3AA-07AB5FBA509B">Grad Escape spring hike at Evergreen Brick Works</a> for some fresh air and tasty treats at the farmersā€™ market.</p> <h3>June 11</h3> <p>91³Ō¹Ļ Mississaugaā€™s International Education Centre global mobility co-ordinator <strong>Andrew Sedmihradsky</strong>&nbsp;and his eight-year-old son Max will <a href="https://www.maxsbigride.com/the-2018-ride/">stop at the Mississauga campus</a> on their journey from Hamilton to Ottawa. The fourth annual father-son trip aims to help find a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, in partnership with Professor <strong>Patrick Gunning</strong> and the Centre for Medicinal Chemistry at 91³Ō¹Ļ Mississauga.</p> <h3>June 13</h3> <p>91³Ō¹Ļ Scarborough alumnus <strong>Tenniel Chu</strong>, vice chairman of Mission Hills Group, will <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/200712867319496/">share his success story</a>&nbsp;as he transitioned from management classes at 91³Ō¹Ļ to working in the sports management industry. Chu holds the Guinness World Record for owning/running the worldā€™s largest golf resort.&nbsp;<a href="/news/17-million-gift-will-help-u-t-become-player-sports-management">He also gave the 91³Ō¹Ļ a $1.675-million gift in November</a> to establish a sports management program at 91³Ō¹Ļ Scarborough.&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#485667" face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 16px;">&nbsp;</span></font></p> <h3>June 14</h3> <p>For new grads and current students alike, itā€™s tough to start the job search. There are plenty of sessions hosted by the Career Centre to help you on your&nbsp;journey, such as one <a href="https://sites.studentlife.utoronto.ca/slCalendar/sleventview.aspx?vdate=6/14/2018&amp;service=CC&amp;eid=CC_11373">taking place today on how to motivate yourself in the job search process</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <h3>June 20</h3> <p>Todayā€™s the day to <a href="http://positivespace.utoronto.ca/event/displayyourpride-2018/">#DisplayYourPride</a>. Every year, students, staff and faculty at all three campuses are encouraged to wear bright colours, decorate their work spaces, and share photos on all social media outlets using #displayyourpride.</p> <h3>June 21</h3> <p>Spend some time with 91³Ō¹Ļ Scarborough Principal <strong>Bruce Kidd</strong> as he hosts his last Healthy Campus Walk. Tour through the ravine lands and to other notable locations, including the Lash Miller House. Meet at noon on the Humanities Wing Patio (HW).</p> <h3>June 22</h3> <p>Join 91³Ō¹Ļ friends and colleagues for the <a href="http://sgdo.utoronto.ca/event/toronto-trans-march/">Trans March</a> at 8 p.m.&nbsp;</p> <h3>June 23</h3> <p>Lace up your shoes and join 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s team for the <a href="http://sgdo.utoronto.ca/event/run-with-the-u-of-t-pride-remembrance-team/">Pride &amp; Remembrance Run</a>, supporting and raising money for local LGBTQ organizations.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <h3>June 24</h3> <p>The <a href="http://sgdo.utoronto.ca/event/toronto-pride-parade/">Pride parade</a> ā€“ Toronto Pride monthā€™s grand finale ā€“ takes place today. Cheer on members of the 91³Ō¹Ļ community and wave hello to Prideā€™s honoured guest <strong>Scott Jones</strong> and honoured youth <strong>Cho Chua</strong> ā€“ both 91³Ō¹Ļ students.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <h3>June 26</h3> <p>The second-annual <a href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/uofts-black-graduation-celebration-class-of-2018-tickets-45217425537">Black Graduation</a> will be celebrating the achievements of Black-identifying students at the 91³Ō¹Ļ who are a part of the Class of 2018. The Black Graduation celebration allows for students, family and friends to come together in one setting to celebrate their hard work and dedication.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 01 Jun 2018 04:00:00 +0000 Romi Levine 136285 at Google and Netflix use it: algorithms can also predict our solar system's stability, say 91³Ō¹Ļ researchers /news/google-and-netflix-use-it-algorithms-can-also-predict-our-solar-system-s-stability-say-u-t <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Google and Netflix use it: algorithms can also predict our solar system's stability, say 91³Ō¹Ļ researchers</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-12-01-solar-system-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=EXgOlmfp 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-12-01-solar-system-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Kb00hr1q 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-12-01-solar-system-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=E32csLhN 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-12-01-solar-system-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=EXgOlmfp" alt="photo illustration of planets colliding"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-12-01T16:37:14-05:00" title="Thursday, December 1, 2016 - 16:37" class="datetime">Thu, 12/01/2016 - 16:37</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Artist's depiction of a collision between two planetary bodies (photo illustration by NASA/JPL-Caltech)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/don-campbell" hreflang="en">Don Campbell</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Don Campbell</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/solar-system" hreflang="en">Solar System</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/machine-learning" hreflang="en">machine learning</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/artificial-intelligence" hreflang="en">Artificial Intelligence</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utsc" hreflang="en">UTSC</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">91³Ō¹Ļ Scarborough</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Machine learning is used today for everything from detecting fraud and sorting spam in Google to recommending movies on Netflix.&nbsp;</p> <p>Now a team of 91³Ō¹Ļ researchers has&nbsp;developed a novel approach to using algorithms to determine whether planetary systems are stable.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œMachine learning offers a powerful way to tackle a problem in astrophysics, and thatā€™s predicting whether planetary systems are stable,ā€ says <strong>Dan Tamayo</strong>, lead author of a report published online in the&nbsp;<a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8205/832/2/L22"><em>Astrophysical Journal Letters</em></a>.</p> <p>The postdoctoral researcher in the Centre for Planetary Science at 91³Ō¹Ļ Scarborough and his team have developed a method that's 1,000 times faster than traditional means of&nbsp;predicting solar system stability.</p> <p>Planetary system stability can tell us a great deal about how these systems formed, Tamayo said, adding that it&nbsp;can also offer valuable new information about exoplanets that is not offered by current methods of observation.&nbsp;</p> <p>The findings could come in handy when analyzing data from NASAā€™s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) set to launch next year. &nbsp;The two-year mission will focus on discovering new exoplanets by focusing on the brightest stars near our solar system.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œIt could be a useful tool because predicting stability would allow us to learn more about the system&nbsp;from the upper limits of mass to the eccentricities of these planets,ā€ says Tamayo. ā€œIt could be a very useful tool in better understanding those systems.ā€&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2726 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="501" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-01-Daniel_Tamayo-embed.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="750" loading="lazy"><br> <em>91³Ō¹Ļ Scarborough planetary science researcher Dan Tamayo wants to use algorithms to study solar system stability (photo by Ken Jones)</em></p> <p>There are several methods of detecting exoplanets that provide information such as the size of the planet and its orbital period. But they may not provide the planetā€™s mass or how elliptical their orbit is, which are all factors that affect stability, notes Tamayo.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œIn the past weā€™ve been hamstrung in trying to figure out whether planetary systems are stable by methods that couldnā€™t handle the amount of data we were throwing at it,ā€ he says.&nbsp;</p> <p>The method developed by Tamayo and his team is the result of a series of workshops at 91³Ō¹Ļ Scarborough covering how machine learning could help tackle specific scientific problems.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œWhatā€™s encouraging is that our findings tell us that investing weeks of computation to train machine learning models is worth it because not only is this tool accurate, it also works much faster,ā€ he adds.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 01 Dec 2016 21:37:14 +0000 ullahnor 102608 at