Highlights Scientists have discovered more than 5,000 planets outside of the Solar System, or “exoplanets”. Most stars in our galaxy have at least one exoplanet, and many are unlike any of the …

At a glance: Exoplanets are planets that orbit other stars. Some look like planets in our own solar system, while others are dramatically different. Exoplanets seem to follow the same general rules as …

How We Detect Exoplanets: The Direct-Imaging Method In some cases, we can actually see exoplanets next to their host stars and track their orbits. Image: The Planetary Society In November 2008, a …

Because transiting exoplanets orbit in orbital planes that are necessarily edge-on to Earth-based observers, using both the transit method and the radial-velocity method to observe the same planet …

The radial-velocity method for detecting exoplanets relies on the fact that a star does not remain completely stationary when it is orbited by a planet. The star moves, ever so slightly, in a small circle …

How We Detect Exoplanets: The Astrometry Method Exoplanets and their stars pull on each other. We can’t see the exoplanet, but we can see the star move. The star’s motion compared to other stars …

How We Detect Exoplanets: The Microlensing Method Star gravity makes space bend near it. When a star passes in front of another star, it bends the distant starlight like a lens, making it brighter.

At a Glance Exoplanets are planets orbiting other stars. To find Earth-like exoplanets, we need new, revolutionary technologies. Since 2009, Planetary Society members have supported work by Debra …

How to Search for Exoplanets Even through a powerful ground- or space-based telescope, stars look like tiny points of light. Planets are even tinier and are very difficult to spot next to their bright host …

The first exoplanets ever discovered, in 1992, were found by timing variations of the pulsar PSR B1257+12. Advantages: Pulsar planets are laboratories for understanding exotic planet formation …