Observing this is known as the radial velocity method. If it is moving away from the observer, it will shift toward the red. If the star moves in the direction of the observer it will appear to be shifted toward blue. Stars are affected by the gravitational tug of their orbiting planets and, when observed through a telescope, this affects the star's light spectrum. Orbiting planets cause stars to wobble in space, changing the color of light astronomers see when observing a star. It's a tiny change, but it's enough to clue astronomers in to the presence of an exoplanet around a distant star. For a brief period of time, that star’s light actually gets dimmer. When a planet passes directly between an observer and the star it orbits, it blocks some of that starlight. The two main techniques are the transit and radial velocity methods. There are five methods scientists commonly use to discover exoplanets. ![]() ![]() ![]() At only four light-years away, Proxima b is our closest known exoplanet neighbor.
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