Exoplanet Zoo, installation view (detail)

Exoplanet Zoo by Bettina Forget — Exoplanet Zoo, installation view (detail)

Exoplanet Zoo, installation view
Merveilles célestes, UdM Art Gallery

Exoplanet Zoo, Kepler 35b, digital print

Exoplanet Zoo, Kepler 35b, Kepler 34c, 55 Cancri e, digital print

Exoplanet Zoo

Since the first planet outside our solar system was discovered in 1992, we have confirmed the existence of over 5,000 of these "exoplanets." The current exoplanet taxonomy draws parallels to solar system planets, naming these new worlds Hot Jupiters, Super-Earths, or Warm Saturns. However, for the majority of exoplanets being discovered, there is no fitting solar system equivalent. Inspired by this conundrum, my project “Exoplanet Zoo” explored a new way to construct an exoplanet taxonomy. I inserted exoplanet data, such as a planet’s mass, semi-major axis, and eccentricity, into the code of a 3D-model of a simple sphere. The substituted numbers “glitched” the sphere, producing unexpected new shapes. Emerging patterns in these transformed spherical models could provide hints at a new classification system. The artwork above depicts the initial two-dimensional studies, which were then transformed into 3D-prints.

“Exoplanet Zoo” juxtaposes Victorian-era concepts of science with modern technologies such as 3D modeling and 3D printing. I hope that this project may inspire astronomers to look at exoplanet taxonomies with new eyes, and spark conversations around the topic of planetary classification systems.

This body of work is the result of a residency at the Mont-Mégantic Observatory in partnership with Université de Montréal