Astronomers explain the low number of discovered grazing planets
Monday, November 9, 2015 - 09:50
in Astronomy & Space
(Phys.org)—Exoplanet hunters have so far found hundreds of alien worlds using the transit method. They observe the visual brightness of the star, which drops when a planet crosses in front of the parent star's disk. However, only a handful of grazing exoplanets—meaning exoplanets that partially transit the host-star's disc—have been detected and confirmed. Astronomers from the University of Porto in Portugal blame giant dark polar spots on host stars for the difficulties of finding new grazing planets. Their research appears in the November issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics journal.