Another way to detect exoplanets is through the transit method. Let\'s consider
ID: 1730439 • Letter: A
Question
Another way to detect exoplanets is through the transit method. Let's consider a planet like WASP-83 b which has a radius of approximately that of Jupiter's. It transits in front of a star that has a radius approximately that of the Sun. When we observe the transit, the brightness of the star will be diminished by a factor
F/transit = 1 - (Rplanet - /Rstar2)
A convenient fact is that
RJupiter/R? = 1/10
Let's consider the brightness before the transit to be 100%. What is the brightness during the transit?
The planet is very close to its star at a distance of 0.06 AU. How did the astrophysicists determine this? They observed the frequency that the transit reoccurred and used Kepler's 3rd Law:
M/M? (P/year)2=(a/AU)3
Given that the star is approximately the mass of the Sun, what is the number of days you have to wait between transits?
Explanation / Answer
Explanation: Radial velocity method and transit method give the radius and size of a planet. These two methods can also help to determine the density of the planet.
It has an atmosphere and is nearly spherical
Pluto is a dwarf planet, but it has a spherical structure and an atmosphere like other planets. These two reasons are favourable to consider Pluto as a planet.
Pluto fails in meeting the following planetary condition:
Cleared its orbital neighborhood:
It does not allow other objects enter its orbit. If any object enters its orbit, the planet should have the capacity to absorb such objects and other debris in the orbit, other than moons, because of the high gravitation force of the moons. Hence, Pluto is not a planet.
They are the only type of planet that are always seen to transit their star as seen from Earth
Explanation: Exoplanets are also called “Hot Jupiters”. They are always seen to transit their star as seen from the Earth.