Ep 57: The hunt for planet tomato
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The hunt for planet tomato
Unlike the method described in the previous episode, the transit method allows one to look at many stars at a time. When a planet crosses between us and the star it’s orbiting, the star’s light dims very slightly. If we can detect that dimming, we can detect said planet.
Here’s a link to the Kepler mission, that used the transit method to detect many extra solar planets, including some that are roughly Earth sized, apparently somewhat Earth like, and even orbiting in their star’s habitable zone—not too far or too close and thus possibly with liquid water, a prerequisite for life.
Here’s a link to a site where you can help for the hunt for extra solar planets.