Astronomy 1021 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Side Effect, Minimum Mass, Methods Of Detecting Exoplanets
16 Dec 2017
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Document Summary
Extrasolar planets are planets that orbit stars that are not our own. This problem can be reduced if we observe in infrared light because planets emit their own and stars are typically dimmer in this lighting: there are two general ways of learning about a distant object. Directly obtaining images or spectra of the object. Some success but we will need better technology for high resolution photos. Indirectly inferring the object"s existence or properties without actually seeing it. All current understanding of extrasolar planets comes from this: two major indirect approaches. Observing the motion of a star to detect the subtle gravitational tugs of orbiting planes. Observing changes to a star"s brightness that occur when one of it planets passes in from other the star as viewed from earth: gravitational tugs. All objects in a solar system (including the sun) orbit the system"s balance point" or center of mass.
