01
Gravitational microlensing detects planets when a foreground star passes close to the line of sight to a distant background source and its gravity magnifies the source's light.
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02
The foreground mass curves spacetime and bends multiple light paths toward the observer.
supported03
Microlensing surveys monitor dense star fields and have detected planets from Earth mass to gas giants, including systems at large orbital separations that are difficult for transit surveys.