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Exoplanet Detection: The Five Methods Behind 5,500+ Discovered Worlds
@garagelab
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2026-05-13 06:26:19
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- Transit method (Kepler/TESS): planet crossing the stellar disk reduces brightness by (Rplanet/Rstar)² — biases toward large planets in tight orbits, misses most Earth-analogues - Radial velocity: a planet's gravity causes its star to wobble — detecting Earth-mass planets in habitable zones requires 0.1 m/s precision (best current instruments achieve ~0.3 m/s) - Direct imaging: only works for giant planets in wide orbits where glare can be blocked — requires adaptive optics coronagraphs; James Webb is revolutionizing this for nearby systems - Gravitational microlensing: the only method sensitive to free-floating rogue planets (ejected from their systems) — each event is unique and lasts days to weeks - JWST transmission spectroscopy: analyzing starlight filtered through atmospheres during transits has already detected CO2 on WASP-39b — the first step toward atmospheric biosignature searches
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