The discovery of planets beyond our solar systems, exoplanets, began by noticing a wobble in a distant pulsar, a stellar corpse. The shift was caused by the gravity of three planets. The video explains how planets form and why the habitable zone matters, then traces major milestones in finding planets beyond our solar system (pulsar planets, the first “hot Jupiter” around 51 Pegasi, and the transit method). Scientists used increasingly advanced tools to observe distant worlds, finding many unexpected planet types (super-Earths, sub-Neptunes, possible water worlds).

Toronto-based Deep Field Productions’ Unsolved Universe Series depicts the boom in space discovery. Breathtaking imagery and new insights boost our age-old quest to understand the cosmos.