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Last Post 10/27/2017 11:08 AM by  Terry Kucera
other planets
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tamara s





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10/27/2017 5:56 AM
    do you believe we've actually detected other planets orbiting other stars, and how is this done, what proof?

    Terry Kucera



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    Posts:328
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    10/27/2017 11:08 AM
    Hi Tamara,
    Yes, I do. There have been a large number of planets around other stars (exoplanets) discovered at this point. This is very exciting - when I was a kid there were no proven exoplanets at all.

    There are a number of different techniques that have been used to detect them. See https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/
    or
    http://www.planetary.org/...-for-exoplanets.html
    for more information.

    Most commonly they are detected by changes they cause in the brightness of the star they orbit, but there are other ways as well, for instance detecting the slight wobble they can cause in their stars. There are even a few cases in which planets have been directly imaged, although this is quite difficult.

    cheers,
    Terry

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