Astronomy › Section O · Star birth and exoplanets › Topic O.4

Searching for planets beyond the solar system

A planet beside its star is like a moth beside a floodlight seen from far away. Astronomers have still found thousands of them, mostly by watching what planets do to their stars: making them wobble or blocking a sliver of their light.

In this topic

  • Finding the invisible
  • Stars wobble too
  • The radial velocity method
  • Worked example: how much does Jupiter move the Sun?
  • Hot Jupiters and selection effects
  • The transit method
  • Worked example: transit depths
  • From dips to discoveries
  • Direct imaging and microlensing
  • The count so far
  • Common mistakes to avoid
  • Key takeaways

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