Ariel Space Mission

Context:

The European Space Agency (ESA) has formally adopted Ariel, the explorer that will study the nature, formation, and evolution of exoplanets.

What is the Ariel Space Mission?

• Ariel(Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey) is the first mission of its kind dedicated to measuring the chemical composition and thermal structures of hundreds of exoplanets.
• These exoplanets will range from gas giants to rocky planets, which will help them to compile a list of their compositions and properties thereby providing insights into how planetary systems form and evolve.
• The mission is expected to be launched in 2029.

What are Exoplanets?

• Planets that lie outside of the Solar System and orbit around stars other than the Sun are called exoplanets or extrasolar planets.
• Exoplanets are not easy to detect since they are much less bright than the stars they orbit and hence it is difficult to see them directly using telescopes.

How to track exoplanets?

• One of these methods involves tracking the dimming of a star that happens when a planet passes in front of it. NASA’s Kepler Space telescope uses this method to spot thousands of planets.
• Other methods to track exoplanets include gravitational lensing and the “wobbling method”, which is based on the idea that an orbiting planet will cause its parent star to orbit slightly off-center.