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Detecting exoplanets with microlensing
28 FEB. 2019 publication date 5354 Views

Microlensing relies on the chance alignment of two stars with an observer. As one star crosses behind the other, the closer star acts like a lens, bending the light so that the brightness smoothly increases and decreases. If a planet is present around the closer star, its gravity will also bend the light stream, causing a spike.

Credits

ESA

License

CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO or ESA Standard Licence

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