Eric Ford, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State and a past fellow of IIAS, has developed a new method for detecting low-mass, potentially Earth-like planets around stars beyond our solar system.

Using advanced spectrographs to observe the subtle "wobble"—stellar spectrum variations—of stars caused by orbiting planets, he seeks to identify potential Earth-like planets with the aid of AI processing.

By processing vast amounts of data more effectively, machine learning plays a crucial role in distinguishing between variations caused by regular stellar processes and those indicating the presence of planets, enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of these detections, says Ford.

Exoplanet research addresses fundamental questions about our place in the universe. Discovering planets around other stars and learning about their characteristics can provide valuable information about the origin of our own solar system.

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