Exoplanet Update

In the years since 1995, our knowledge of planetary systems has grown from a sample of one to a diverse collection of more than 500 planets around other stars. Discoveries to date have revealed a surprising diversity of planetary systems, including ``hot Jupiters'' in 1-day orbits, planets in retrograde orbits, and ``super Earths'' with masses intermediate to those of the Earth and Neptune. I will present an overview of the motivation behind the study of exoplanets, how astronomers hunt for planets around other stars, and what we have learned about planet formation in general, and the origins of our Solar System in general.