Exoplanet Detection Methods
Ever since space exploration was a thing, one of the biggest questions asked is about the possibility of someone else out there. Are we alone in this vast universe? Or are there some extraterrestrial lives possible in other galaxies? For all that, we have to find some planets in the first place to know if it is capable for a star to host a planet, and a planet to host life. Here are 5 different ways according to NASA on how to find an exoplanet. Exoplanet Detection There are many ways to detect the presence of a planet. Radial Velocity and Transit Light Curve methods are the most commonly used methods to detect a planet. Around 5000 planets have been found through these 2 methods alone. 1) Radial Velocity Why does the Earth move around the Sun? It's because of gravitational pull of the Sun is greater than that of the Earth. But the Earth and other planets also have a gravitational field. So, shouldn't the Sun move a bit as well? Actually, it does, and this event is called as