discovering the discoverers
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by
letrify
Where is the database containing the current status (candidate or confirmed) for each exoplanet and their discoverers ?
Posted
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Ptd
The register of confirmed planets is here
http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/TblView/nph-tblView?app=ExoTbls&config=planetsAs well as many other related lists on the same site.
Not sure if there is a similar list of discoverers.
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ajamyajax
in response to letrify's comment.
I'm a fan of NEA that Ptd mentioned and use it all the time, but this might give you a quicker look -- assuming you meant a scientific publication of discovery.
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letrify
Thank you Ptd and ajamyajax
I notice that there is only one name against each exoplanet at this address http://exoplanets.org/table --- How can this be when most were found by multiple Planethunters? I am so disappointed that all the discoverers seem to have been forgotten after all their hard effort.
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ajamyajax
in response to letrify's comment.
The scientific community only recognizes published papers for discovery. The lead author is who you see referenced on lists such as these (their last name, et al.) And planet hunters do get mentioned as co-authors on papers published by our science team or in the blog. But the science team still does most of the hard work in any discovery. Remember confirmations requires expensive telescope time for observations, research, and follow-up which takes a great deal of dedication and time.
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letrify
in response to ajamyajax's comment.
I hear what you say, but recognition of the planet hunters work should be mentioned in the published papers alongside the lead author, instead of obliterating the information from history, as seems to be the case, since you have not given me information to gain access of the publications you refer to. In other words, the planet hunters' dedication is also worthy of mention, since exoplanets were initially flagged up by them, and otherwise may never have came to the lead author's attention. And does not the lead author get paid for his work, and who pays for the expensive telescope time ? It smacks of elitism in the scientific community, and from which the worker bees, in this case, have been stung.
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Ptd
Hi Letrify
Try here
https://www.zooniverse.org/about/publicationsIf you read through the papers themselves, then usually near the bottom in the Acknowledgments Section there will be a link to the list of personal acknowledgments you are referring to, however I've noticed that some of the older links currently seem to be broken.
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ajamyajax
in response to letrify's comment.
Well, there isn't anything I can say to make you feel better except we all start out like this. Yet five or more years later, I'm still here finding new planets and helping others do that also, and on my own time.
At the end of the day, you have to decide for yourself how much interest you have in all this. AND if contributing your free time in any way to advance planet discovery is enough for you, however small a role you might play.
Keep in mind that as an untrained volunteer your skills (and mine) are only worth so much. That's just the way it is. But just so your know, after the thousands of hours I put in I am very good at finding planets. A few others here are also.
And if you put in the same time and effort, you probably will be also. But a fascination with the science needs to come first to have any chance at that. Best of luck to you.
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