Fact Sheet
Dimming the Light
One technique that astronomers are using to hunt for planets in other star systems is known as "transits." As depicted in this artist's concept, a transit occurs when a planet passes directly between Earth and its parent star. As a result, the star appears to get a little fainter, as shown in the graph of the star's brightness at bottom. This technique has already revealed a handful of planets, and future orbiting observatories may discover hundreds of planets this way. [ESA]
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