Scioly astro exoplanet detection methods

Direct Imaging

works best in systems that are relatively near the sun, have significant star/planet separation, and a hot planet

Pulsar timing

this method is capable of detecting planets far smaller than any other method, but planets found using it are very rare

Relativistic beaming

also called “doppler boosting,” this is when the light from a star appears brighter because it is moving towards earth

Radial velocity

also called doppler spectroscopy, this method observes changes in a star’s velocity toward or away from earth

transit photometry

the observed brightness of a star drops perceptibly when a planet passes in front of it

transit timing variation

useful for detecting multiple planets in one system, particularly when one of the planets is more massive than the others

gravitational microlensing

depends on a chance alignment of a star (with a planet) almost directly in front of a distant star (from Earth perspective)

astrometry

measuring the star’s position in the sky with precision over time. this method is severely limited by tmospheric distortion

ellipsoidal light variations

effective for detecting planets around stars that have left the main sequence, as they are more susceptible to tidal distortions

eclipsing binary minima timing

periodicity in the offset of observed versus predicted minima due to the perturbations of a planet