Tag: exoplanets

Advent of sensitive detectors enabled detection of exoplanets via the transit method

December 20, 2023

Transit method is by far the most important technique for detecting exoplanets orbiting other stars given the preponderance of exoplanets identified by the technique. In brief, transit detection operates by observing the small dip in starlight when the exoplanet moves in front of the host star from our point of view. Given the intensity of … More Advent of sensitive detectors enabled detection of exoplanets via the transit method

Exoplanets could be detected by gravitational microlensing effect

August 28, 2021

Currently, transit of exoplanet in front of its host star is the dominant technique for the detection and discovery of exoplanets. But, there exists other approaches for exoplanet discovery, particularly on a serendipitous basis. One approach is gravitational microlensing effect. Specifically, in gravitational microlensing, the brightness of the star under observation brightens due to the … More Exoplanets could be detected by gravitational microlensing effect

Most exoplanets detected by radial velocity methods are gas giants orbiting close to the host star

June 25, 2021

Transit method is the predominant technique for detecting exoplanets orbiting stars. Based on detecting the small dip in starlight as an exoplanet pass in front of the host star, development of sensitive detectors has afforded the detection of a large number of exoplanets hitherto thought not to exist. But, there exists other methods for the … More Most exoplanets detected by radial velocity methods are gas giants orbiting close to the host star

Most exoplanets are discovered by the transit method

January 27, 2020

Exoplanets around other star systems were hypothesized many years before they were first discovered in the mid-1990s. Specifically, the first exoplanet discovered was via the radial velocity technique that measured the wobble in the parent star as the planet orbits around the host star. Determined to be a hot Jupiter which has a close-in orbital … More Most exoplanets are discovered by the transit method

Strong winds help ameliorate temperature difference between the day and nightside of tidally-locked planets

May 28, 2019

Close-in tidally-locked exoplanets around other stars are commonly found in the past two decades of exoplanets research. Such planets have size typically much larger than Earth and orbits their parent star at a distance much closer than Mercury is to our Sun. More importantly, these exoplanets are usually tidally-locked with one side of the planet … More Strong winds help ameliorate temperature difference between the day and nightside of tidally-locked planets

Large ground-based telescopes play important roles in the search for atmospheric biosignatures in exoplanets

December 24, 2018

The recent decommissioning of the Kepler space telescope brings to a close an era where the satellite played an important role in the detection of thousands of exoplanet candidates by the transit method. Out of fuel and thus not able to reliably point at a particular patch of sky, Kepler detected close to 3000 exoplanet … More Large ground-based telescopes play important roles in the search for atmospheric biosignatures in exoplanets

Transit method for detecting exoplanet

September 7, 2018

By detecting a small dip in the intensity of starlight when a planet transits in front of the star, the transit method has been used in detecting exoplanets around stars. Specifically, both Earth-based and space telescopes had detected exoplanets using the transit method, but the method requires confirmation through repeated observations.   Planets orbit around … More Transit method for detecting exoplanet

Current transit methods could only confirm exoplanets of short duration orbit around the host star

March 16, 2018

Confirmation of an exoplanet require observations of three transits of the exoplanet around the host star. Thus, given the relative short operating span of current space telescopes used in detecting exoplanets, only exoplanets with short duration orbit around host stars are confirmed as exoplanets, while others remain as candidate exoplanets. However, with sufficient observation time, … More Current transit methods could only confirm exoplanets of short duration orbit around the host star

What is a super-Earth in exoplanet research?

November 25, 2017

Super Earth refers to planets with a rocky core that has a radius of between 1.5 to 2 of that of Earth. They represent a class of exoplanets of significant scientific interest given the possibility of Earth-like habitability with respect to life, and is a target for observation by both space-based and Earth-based observatories. Thus … More What is a super-Earth in exoplanet research?

Global network of standardized telescopes for time domain astronomy

August 16, 2017

Feature article in Science, Vol. 356, Issue 6337, pp. 476-479, “A global robotic telescope network helps astronomers keep up with the fast-changing sky”   Summary of article: Using standardized telescopes of diameter between 2 meter and 40 centimeters, a global network of automated telescopes lend clarity to distant stars, galaxies and even exoplanets through the … More Global network of standardized telescopes for time domain astronomy