Transit Method-Detecting Exoplanets
It is an indirect method astronomers use to detect planets beyond the solar system. Astronomers have found 3410 exoplanets using this method. In this story, we will look at the details.
The transit method is an indirect method for detecting exoplanets. The phenomenon is similar to the solar eclipse. When the moon comes between the Sun and the Earth, it blocks sunlight and we can see the disk of the moon in front of the Sun. But in the case of exoplanets, the star and the planet are very far away. So, astronomers use the light from that star to see if anything comes in front of the star and blocks some of the light.
If a planet is orbiting a star and its orbit is such that it comes in between earth and that star, it will block some of the light of that star and the star will get dimmer. By analyzing the light from the star, astronomers can measure for how long the transit happens and how much light it has blocked. With this information, they can tell a lot about the planet.
