Dr. McMillan, at the University of Arizona, has designed and brought into operation an instrument to accurately measure small changes in the line of sight velocities of stars. The instrument was constructed specifically to find planets around other stars than the sun. In addition there are numerous possibilities for serendipitous discoveries of stellar phenomena. Dr. McMillan will use this grant to continue his search for planets. The presence of planets around other stars than the sun is an obviously important astronomical and philosophical question. Currently only one system, our own solar system, is known to exist. Several scientific groups are carrying out observations with a variety of techniques with the goal of detecting planets around other stars. Dr. McMillan and his colleagues with their specially designed, state-of-the-art instrumentation are among the leaders in this field.
