Other Planets?

Is it possible that other stars also have planets in orbit around them? It would seem almost impossible for their not to be when one considers the huge number of stars just in our own galaxy, over 100 billion. There is nothing particularly unique about our Sun and how it formed so it is highly likely that other suns, which formed in the same way, also have planets in orbit. But is there any evidence?

With the worlds most powerful telescopes we do not have a hope of actually seeing a planet in orbit around another star. There is however quite a lot of indirect evidence of objects in orbit around stars.

Gravitational effects
A distant star is seen to "wobble" periodically. Is this due to the gravity of a large object or objects in orbit around it?

Absorption Spectra
These suggest that some stars are surrounded by an orbiting disc of dust and gas. The planets in our solar system evolved from such a disc.

Here is an excellent website if you want to read more about the evidence for extrasolar planets.

http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/other.html