Exoplanets

Front

What is an exoplanet?

Back

An exoplanet is a planet that orbits a star outside our solar system.

Front

What is the primary requirement for a celestial body to be classified as a planet?

Back

It must orbit a star (not just the Sun), must not be a moon of another object, must have cleared its orbital neighborhood, and must be round by its own gravity.

Front

Which method of exoplanet detection involves observing the dimming of a star's light?

Back

The Transit method.

Front

What is a light curve in the context of exoplanet detection?

Back

A light curve is a graph that shows the brightness of a star over time, used to detect transits of exoplanets.

Front

How many exoplanets have been discovered as of now?

Back

Approximately 5000 exoplanets.

Front

What is the Radial Velocity method?

Back

A technique used to detect exoplanets by observing the star's spectrum for shifts caused by the gravitational pull of an orbiting planet.

Front

What is gravitational microlensing?

Back

A method of detecting exoplanets by observing the bending of light from a distant star caused by the gravitational field of a foreground object.

Front

What is the significance of the term 'cleared its orbital neighborhood'?

Back

It means that a planet has become gravitationally dominant in its orbit, having removed other debris and smaller bodies.

Front

What is the difference between a gas giant and a terrestrial planet?

Back

Gas giants are large planets composed mostly of gases (like Jupiter), while terrestrial planets are rocky and solid (like Earth).

Front

What is the Kepler Space Telescope known for?

Back

It was designed to discover Earth-sized exoplanets in the habitable zones of their stars.