Exocomets, exoasteroids and exomoons

TL;DR

This paper reviews the emerging subfields of exocomets, exoasteroids, and exomoons, highlighting their current understanding, physical properties, and recent rapid growth despite limited existing knowledge.

Contribution

It introduces and contextualizes three rapidly growing subfields in astronomy related to objects orbiting stars and planets outside our solar system.

Findings

Exocomets, exoasteroids, and exomoons are confirmed to exist.

Our understanding of their physical properties is still limited.

These subfields have experienced rapid growth over the past decade.

Abstract

Comets, asteroids and moons that orbit stars and planets exterior to our solar system are prefixed with "exo". While the existence of these objects is certain, our understanding of their physical properties, composition, and diversity is still in its infancy, especially when compared to similar objects within our own solar system. This chapter introduces the topics of exocomets, exoasteroids, and exomoons, putting in context three emerging subfields in astronomy that, despite being relatively small, have experienced rapid growth over the past decade.