Orbits and New Worlds

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Exoplanet Noun

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[ek-so-plan-it]

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Exoplanet

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A planet that orbits a star located outside of our solar system, also known as an extrasolar planet.

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Example: The image shows an exoplanet passing in front of a star, causing a dip in brightness, which helps detect the planet.

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Light-year Noun

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[lite-yeer]

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Light-year

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The unit of distance that light travels in a vacuum in one year, used for measuring astronomical distances.

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Example: The image shows how far light travels in a year by comparing distances to nearby stars.

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Gravity Noun

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[grav-i-tee]

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Gravity

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The universal force of attraction that acts between all objects with mass, keeping planets in orbit around stars.

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Example: The image shows how gravity keeps the Moon in orbit around Earth.

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Orbit Noun

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[or-bit]

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Orbit

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The curved path, usually elliptical, that a celestial object or spacecraft takes around another object due to gravity.

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Example: Earth's elliptical orbit around the Sun shows how gravity creates a curved path.

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Barycenter Noun

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[bar-ee-sen-ter]

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Barycenter

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The common center of mass around which two or more celestial bodies orbit each other, like a star and a planet.

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Example: The barycenter is shown as the point where the Sun and Jupiter orbit each other.

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Radial Velocity Method Noun

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[ray-dee-ul vuh-los-i-tee meth-ud]

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Radial Velocity Method

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A technique for finding exoplanets by observing the slight wobble of a star caused by an orbiting planet's gravity.

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Example: The image shows how a star's wobble, caused by an exoplanet's gravity, is detected from Earth using the radial velocity method.

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Spectrum Noun

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[spek-trum]

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Spectrum

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The range of colors or wavelengths of light that an object emits, used to determine its composition and motion.

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Example: The image shows emission lines of elements, illustrating how different colors represent different wavelengths in a spectrum.

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Doppler Shift Noun

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[dop-ler shift]

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Doppler Shift

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The change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light source is moving toward or away from an observer.

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Example: The image shows how light from a star changes color as it moves toward or away from us, illustrating the Doppler Shift.

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Spectroscopic Method Noun

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[spek-tro-skop-ik meth-ud]

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Spectroscopic Method

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An exoplanet detection technique that uses the Doppler shift in a star's spectrum to identify a star's wobble.

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Example: A telescope detects a star's wobble caused by an unseen planet, using the Doppler shift in light.

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Transit Noun

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[tran-sit]

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Transit

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An astronomical event where one celestial body passes directly in front of another, blocking a small amount of its light.

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Example: A planet passes in front of a star, causing a dip in brightness shown in the light curve.