Astronomy & Space Science · AST-576
Transit Photometry: Foundations
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Overview
Core model: Transit Photometry
Transit photometry detects an exoplanet when it crosses the face of its star and blocks a measurable fraction of starlight. Repeated periodic dips reveal the orbital period, while the transit depth primarily constrains the planet-to-star radius ratio.
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References & evidence
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- 01How We Find and Characterize ExoplanetsOpen source ↗
NASA Science
View claim-by-claim traceability3 verified claims
Transit photometry detects an exoplanet when it crosses the face of its star and blocks a measurable fraction of starlight.
supported · checked Sep 22, 2026Kepler and TESS have detected thousands of repeating transit signals.
supported · checked Sep 22, 2026For a small dark planet crossing a uniformly bright star, the fractional light loss is approximately the square of the radius ratio.
supported · checked Sep 22, 2026