Why will detecting Earth-sized planets be much more difficult than finding Jupiter-sized planets around other stars?
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It's not a question of "will be." We already have detected such planets. How do we detect any planets around distant stars? Why would it be easier to detect bigger ones than smaller ones?
It turns out that detecting planets around other stars is by the periodic dimming of the star, caused by the "eclipse" of the star by the planet.
A smaller planet will dim the star to a lesser extent, hence either the periodic dimming phenomenon is more difficult to observe, or the reduced dimming will be masked by the "noise", and hence more difficult to detect.
On the other hand, a larger sized planet will give a more definitive periodic dimming pattern, which makes it easier to detect.
A smaller planet will dim the star to a lesser extent, hence either the periodic dimming phenomenon is more difficult to observe, or the reduced dimming will be masked by the "noise", and hence more difficult to detect.
On the other hand, a larger sized planet will give a more definitive periodic dimming pattern, which makes it easier to detect.
1 answer