Expolanets Flashcards
exoplanet
orbit another star
solar nebula theory
describes the formation of our solar system from a nebula cloud made from a collection of dust and gas
we tend to find exoplanets around ______
stars
metal-rich
Exoplanet Detection - Transit Method
When the exoplanet passes Infront of its host star we can measure the amount of dimming and the transit time, allowing us to determine the exoplanets size and orbital characteristics
Exoplanet Detection - Gravitational Microlensing
General Relativity tells us that massive objects cause
spacetime to curve. Light changes and can be focused just like a lens
Exoplanet Detection - MOA telescope
Microlensing Observations in
Astrophysics”
The MOA telescope is a Japanese/NZ
collaboration, located in Tekapo, South Island
Exoplanet Detection - Radial Velocity
spectroscopy determines it, characteristic spectral lines in the light
we receive from the star, and determine whether
they are redshifted (as the star moves away from
us) or blueshifted (as the star moves toward us)
Exoplanet Detection - Astrometry
The motion can also be visible as changes in the star’s
apparent position in the sky relative to other reference
stars
The motion can also be visible as changes in the star’s
apparent position in the sky relative to other reference
stars
Astrometry
Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars which emit
beams of intense radiation.Tiny variations in the timing of the pulses indicate that
the pulsar is orbiting the center of mass of a system
with one or more planets
Pulsar Timing
direct imaging
Exoplanets are millions of times dimmer than the
stars they orbit, so direct imaging of them is very
difficult
a device inside a telescope which blocks light from
a star before it reaches the telescope’s detecto
Transits: In simple words
Looking for passing
shadows (eclipses)
Microlensing:
Looking for light
focused by
gravitational lenses
Radial Velocity:
Looking for redshift
and blueshift as a host
star wobbles
Astrometry:
Measuring change in
position of a star in
the sky
