The hunt for planets around other stars, and the possibility of life on these worlds, are the central topics of EXOPLANETS - Discovering New Worlds, released by Loch Ness Productions in summer 2021. This fulldome show blends science, documentary-style storytelling, and a touch of science fiction into a compelling look at the ongoing search for planets around alien worlds.

"It's a topic that has fascinated me since the first announcements in the late 1990s," said Carolyn Collins Petersen, CEO of Loch Ness Productions, scriptwriter and narrator for the show. "It's been more than a quarter-century since the first known exoplanet detection was actually confirmed, and today, we enjoy a great age of extrasolar planet discoveries."

The idea of worlds beyond the solar system is a popular public topic, and people remain very curious about these distant places. Petersen, who also gives public lectures on astronomy topics, said the topic of exoplanets always comes up in questions from her attendees. "They want to know how these planets get found and what they look like. This project provided me a chance to dig into the history of exoplanet searches, examine how we detect these worlds, and what they might be like—all topics we can use to satisfy audience curiosity."

The show covers the types of worlds astronomers have found so far, said Petersen. "The multiplicity of worlds beyond the solar system gives astronomers an interesting collection of places to study. They range from hot Jupiters to super-Earths," she points out. "Regardless of their size, they're hard to find; they get lost in the glare of their stars, so astronomers have to get creative to search them out."

The show explains exoplanet search strategies which use both ground- and space-based observatories to find these tiny needles in the vast stellar haystack. "Search methods are an important part of sharing the thrill of planetary discovery with our audiences, and I definitely talk about them in the show," Petersen pointed out. "One outcome of these methods is to determine which places might be hospitable to life, not just "out there" but also in our own solar system. I threaded that idea through the show, as well."

EXOPLANETS - Discovering New Worlds scratches the surface of the complex field of extrasolar planet studies. The research into the many fascinating subtopics in this field yielded much more information than Petersen had room for in the show. "We don't want that knowledge to go unappreciated. So, the extra material now populates a series of articles on our company blog, as well as on our Facebook page," noted Petersen. "These pieces go into more depth about topics we cover in EXOPLANETS. We've already gotten very good feedback about this fulldome show, and I hope this additional material will be useful to presenters when audiences ask questions after seeing it."

Explore the latest in exoplanet detection methods and the search for habitable worlds, with EXOPLANETS - Discovering New Worlds. Available now with affordable long-term licenses; as short-term streaming rentals; and in downloadable form for VR!

More show information can be found at these sites: