Researchers at the Centre for Planetary Sciences are constantly pushing the boundaries of human knowledge. A number of the studies published by our members have been the subject of press releases, detailed below. These are excellent examples of the fantastic science conducted here in Toronto.
- 30 Nov 2016: What do Netflix, Google and planetary systems have in common?
Machine learning is a powerful tool used for a variety of tasks in modern life. Now a team of researchers from the CPS, lead by postdoctoral fellow Dan Tamayo, have used it to develop a novel approach to predicting the stability of planetary systems.
Paper: Journal, ArXiv
- 8 Nov 2015: Astronomers Spy a Nursery of Baby Exoplanets
Astronomers discovered at least one, probably two, baby Jupiter-like planets still actively forming and surrounded by their natal clouds of gas and dust. The system resembles an infant version of the first directly imaged planetary system, HR 8799. Graduate student Ryan Cloutier was a key member of the team.
Paper: Journal, ArXiv
- 5 Nov 2015: A faster, more accurate tool to calculate the motions of planets
Assistant Professor Hanno Rein and postdoctoral fellow Dan Tamayo have developed a new algorithm for integrating planetary orbits, implemented in Rein's REBOUND N-body code that is faster and more accurate than previous schemes, reaching a fundamental accuracy limit for modern computer processors.
Paper: Journal, ArXiv
-
29 Oct 2015: Who kicked a giant planet out of our Solar System 4 billion years ago? We're looking at you, Jupiter
The existence of a fifth giant gas planet at the time of the Solar System’s formation – in addition to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune that we know of today – was first proposed in 2011. But if it did exist, how did it get pushed out? A new study, lead by graduate student Ryan Cloutier, points the finger at Jupiter as the likely culprit.
Paper: Journal, ArXiv
- 29 April 2015: Closing the gap: astrophysicists offer proof that famous image shows forming planets
A team led by postdoctoral fellow Dan Tamayo has demonstrating that the circular gaps in the famous image of the disk of gas and dust orbiting the young star HL Tau are made by forming planets.
Paper: Journal, ArXiv