How can we find worlds around other stars? Planets are extremely faint and little compared to the stars they orbit. To conquer this obstacle, researchers utilize a range of methods to discover and define them.
For more info on the various methods utilized to find exoplanets, see How To Find an Exoplanet.
Video Transcript:
How do we discover exoplanets?
Since worlds are close to much brighter stars, how do we in fact discover them?
Some worlds are discovered by a method that utilizes Einstein’s theory of basic relativity, observing the flexing result of gravity from a covert world as it contorts the light around its host star.
The most typical technique is to search for an eclipse or transit as a world passes in front of its host star. This is how the Kepler observatory discovered worlds, by looking at a big area of the sky and awaiting worlds to pass in front of their stars, taking pictures every second.
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite utilizes the very same strategy on our closest next-door neighbor stars.
Another strategy observes extremely little modifications in the star’s position in the sky– the wobble that takes place when a hidden world’s gravity pulls on its host star.
If the world and star are oriented so that the star is approaching or far from us, rather of side to side, we can find the world as a shift in the star’s light.
As far as getting images of the real exoplanets themselves, it’s possible, however extremely tough. The telescope needs to obstruct the intense star’s light to expose the faint world close by.
