Why is it more likely that a search for extra-terrestrial planets would end up discovering a planet that is Jupiter-like in size?
2006-12-11 12:06:04 · 3 answers · asked by hunnk33 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Because they're easier to see. We can spot solar systems with Jupiter-like planets just by observing the wobble they induce in their stars' orbits. To find a planet the size of Earth, we'd have to see it directly, and spotting reflected light from a planet that close to a star would be pretty much impossible with the technology we have today. Starlight tends to scatter and there's no way to tell where it stops and a planet starts.
2006-12-11 12:10:35 · answer #1 · answered by Amy F 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
using frame of mind to detection. Astronomers use the "wobble" that giant planets reason in stars as they orbit to locate the presence of extrasolar planets. large planets orbiting on the point of a favourite individual orbit very with out delay and create an excellent wobble, making them a lot less annoying to locate than smaller, extra away planets.
2016-11-25 21:42:11 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because all the stars are so far away, you have a better chance of detecting very large planets, like Jupiter.
2006-12-11 12:09:13 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋