Astronomers have been discovering new planets almost faster than they can count them. They reported more than 750 in the first six months of this year alone, bringing the total number of confirmed planets in other star systems to about 1800. While the search for exoplanets continues, astronomers are also beefing up their efforts to study the planets they’ve already found. In the last few months, several new instruments have joined that effort. The telescope used for NESSI, in New MexicoOne of the biggest is the Gemini Planet Imager — an infrared camera attached to an eight-meter telescope in Chile. Scientists are using it to look at 600 target stars. The camera blocks out the light of the stars themselves, allowing it to see planets in orbit around the stars. And once it sees a planet, it’ll break apart the planet’s light to measure its chemical composition and other details. A similar European instrument entered service in May, also on a large telescope in Chile. In addition to huntin
