NASA presents information about the astronomy project to map the exploration of nearby planets and orbiting stars. The project consists of a consortium of many institutions to create a space-based optical interferometer, the study of dust clouds around stars, and more. Information about support ground-based programs, supporting space missions, and other details about the project are available.

With the discovery of planets beyond our solar system 25 years ago, exoplanet research has expanded dramatically, with new state-of-the-art ground-based and space-based missions dedicated to their discovery and characterisation. With more than 3,500 exoplanets now known, the complexity of the discovery techniques, observations and physical characterisation have grown exponentially. This Handbook ties all these avenues of research together across a broad range of exoplanet science. Planet formation, exoplanet interiors and atmospheres, and habitability are discussed, providing in-depth coverage of our knowledge to date. Comprehensively updated from the first edition, it includes instrumental and observational developments, in-depth treatment of the new Kepler mission results and hot Jupiter atmospheric studies, and major updates on models of exoplanet formation. With extensive references to the research literature and appendices covering all individual exoplanet discoveries, it is a valuable reference to this exciting field for both incoming and established researchers.

Proceedings of a March 1997 workshop, with theoretical and observational papers in sections on free floating brown dwarfs, substellar objects as companions to stars, atmospheres and interiors, and the mass function. Subjects include rotation of field M dwarfs, the formation of eccentric superplanets, extrasolar comets in young stellar systems, extrasolar giant planets, spectroscopic properties of ultra-cool dwarfs and brown dwarfs, the stellar mass function, and the mass of the Pleiades. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR