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There are two tools that astronomers use to determine that a far-off star has planets.
1. Occultation: When a planet passes in between the Earth and another star, it is called an "occultation", from the Latin word "occult" or "hidden". The light measurement from the star will be slightly decreased when a planet passes in front of the star. Think of it as a very par away eclipse. This only works for very large planets.
2. Gravitational "wobble": A large planet attracts a star as much as the star attracts the planet, and they both orbit their joint center of gravity. Because the star is so much more massive than the planet, the star only wobbles very slightly, but over long periods it is possible to notice the differences.
What else can I help you with?
Is our sun the only star that has planets orbiting around it?
No. Other stars have been found to have planets orbiting them.
How long does it take the planets to spin on their axis?
That depends on which solar system and planet you are asking about - we now know for planets orbiting other stars.
Why do stars wobble?
Stars wobble due to the gravitational influence of the planets orbiting them. As planets orbit their stars, their gravitational pull causes the stars to move slightly in response. Scientists can detect this wobble in a star's position, which provides information about the planets orbiting it.
Are there other planets Andromeda galaxy?
We expect the Andromeda galaxy to be just like our own Milky Way galaxy. We can see stars (suns) in the Andromeda Galaxy and just as stars have planets orbiting them in our galaxy, we believe that there must be planets also orbiting stars in the Andromeda galaxy.
Do any of the stars you can see have planets around them?
Yes. To date scientists have discovered well over a thousand planets orbiting other stars. It is believe that a large portion of the stars in the night sky have planets.
Where are the planets found?
Orbiting stars. We know of eight planets orbiting our Sun, and we know of over 300 planets orbiting other stars.
How do you know where a black hole is?
You will see stars/planets orbiting what looks like nothing.
Are there ant planets orbiting gemni?
There may be planets orbiting stars in the constellation Gemini, but planets do not orbit whole constellations.
Is our sun the only star that has planets orbiting around it?
No. Other stars have been found to have planets orbiting them.
How do you know that extrasolar planets are orbiting other stars?
the planet makes a dim in the light given star
How long does it take the planets to spin on their axis?
That depends on which solar system and planet you are asking about - we now know for planets orbiting other stars.
What other planets are in the milky way galaxy?
All the planets we know of... even those orbiting other stars... are in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Why do stars wobble?
Stars wobble due to the gravitational influence of the planets orbiting them. As planets orbit their stars, their gravitational pull causes the stars to move slightly in response. Scientists can detect this wobble in a star's position, which provides information about the planets orbiting it.
Where are ExtraSolar planets found?
Extrasolar planets are planets found orbiting stars other then our own.
Do the stars or dwarf planets orbit planets?
No. Dwarf planets orbit stars just like planets do. Stars orbit the center of their galaxy. An object orbiting a planet would be a moon.
Are planets outside the solar system?
A solar system comprises a star (or combination of gravity bound stars) and their orbiting planets. We think the majority of stars are solar systems an we have detected planets orbiting stars other than the Sun. However in the process of forming a solar system we believe that planets my be permanently ejected from orbiting their stars and flung off into interstellar space. These planets would therefore indeed be outside any solar system.
Does Saturn have star that orbits it?
Planets cannot have stars orbiting them by definition.
