TEDxUF 2012

Abstract

For centuries, human understanding of planetary systems was informed by only a single example, our own. With the discovery of planetary systems around distant stars, astronomers have uncovered a surprising diversity of planets and recognized that many basic properties of our solar system are not universal. In 2009, NASA’s Kepler mission began searching for Earth-size planets in the habitable zone of Sun-like stars. Ford will share the challenges and highlights of this mission, plus how its discoveries are reshaping our understanding of the origins of our solar system.

Eric B. Ford

Professor

My research focuses on exoplanets, planet formation and astrostatistics.