In order to detect and confirm the presence of a planet around stars other than the Sun, scientists have to wait for the completion of three orbits. But this effective method has its drawbacks, because it cannot confirm the presence of peace in relatively large time intervals. To overcome this obstacle, the researchers created a method that allows them to find the planet within a few months, even if they spend 10 years on an orbital flyby.
The transit method is to search for a reduction in the luminosity level of the star during the passage of the planet. Thus, it is possible to estimate the radius of the world, the inclination of the orbit, and it can be simultaneously applied to a large number of stars. But it has a limitation: because of the need to wait three periods, it can be used only for planets with short orbital fly-overs (several days or months). That is, scientists will have to wait 30 years to find a planet resembling Jupiter, which needs 11 years to fly through a star.
Data from the light curve of the star EPIC248847494. Transit is well viewed in the upper right part of the image Astronomers offer a new method. Analyzing the data of the K2 space telescope, one star showed a significant long-term temporary reduction in luminosity, that is, the signature of the passage in front of the star of the planet. I had to consult with the archive of Gaia to determine the parameter of the star EPIC248847494 and its distance in 1500 light years from us. These data helped to find out that the transit lasts 53 hours, and the planet is distant from the star by 4.5 Earth-Sun distances. That is, she spends 10 years on an orbital flight. It was necessary to understand: in front of us is really a planet, not a star.
The answer was provided by the telescope UNIGE (Chile). Measuring the radial velocity of the star, which allows to bring the planetary mass, he showed that the mass of the object is 13 times larger than that of Jupiter (below the minimum stellar mass). This technique can be used to hunt habitable worlds around solar-type stars. Now you do not need to spend years confirming the existence of planets. Moreover, with further development it will be possible to determine the availability of satellites.
