
Exoplanets, worlds beyond the Solar System - The Planetary Society
Highlights Scientists have discovered more than 5,000 planets outside of the Solar System, or “exoplanets”. Most stars in our galaxy have at least one exoplanet, and many are unlike any of …
The Different Kinds of Exoplanets You Meet in the Milky Way
At a glance: Exoplanets are planets that orbit other stars. Some look like planets in our own solar system, while others are dramatically different. Exoplanets seem to follow the same general …
Color-Shifting Stars: The Radial-Velocity Method
The radial-velocity method for detecting exoplanets relies on the fact that a star does not remain completely stationary when it is orbited by a planet. The star moves, ever so slightly, in a small …
How to Search for Exoplanets - The Planetary Society
How to Search for Exoplanets Even through a powerful ground- or space-based telescope, stars look like tiny points of light. Planets are even tinier and are very difficult to spot next to their …
The most Earth-like exoplanets - The Planetary Society
We call them exoplanets. Now researchers have found over 5000 confirmed exoplanets, but a relatively small number of these worlds are similar to Earth. Here are the top three worlds that …
How astronomers search for life on exoplanets - The Planetary …
Oct 11, 2023 · New technologies for seeing exoplanets Direct exoplanet imaging, which involves blocking the light from a bright star and resolving the light from a nearby, fainter planet, is an …
Space-Warping Planets: The Microlensing Method
How We Detect Exoplanets: The Microlensing Method Star gravity makes space bend near it. When a star passes in front of another star, it bends the distant starlight like a lens, making it …
Fireflies Next to Spotlights: The Direct… | The Planetary Society
How We Detect Exoplanets: The Direct-Imaging Method In some cases, we can actually see exoplanets next to their host stars and track their orbits. Image: The Planetary Society In …
Wobbly Stars: The Astrometry Method | The Planetary Society
How We Detect Exoplanets: The Astrometry Method Exoplanets and their stars pull on each other. We can’t see the exoplanet, but we can see the star move. The star’s motion compared …
The search for Earthlike worlds - The Planetary Society
Jun 10, 2024 · The ELT will be able to directly image exoplanets and characterize the atmospheres of Earthlike planets in their stars’ habitable zones. In a study published in The …