Submission + - FOR THE FIRST TIME, VISIBLE LIGHT FROM AN EXOPLANET DETECTED (popsci.com)
An anonymous reader writes: One does not simply look at an exoplanet. In order to learn more about these space rocks lurking many light years away, researchers have various indirect methods for deciphering their features. Astronomers can examine how the planetâ(TM)s host star wobbles in relation to the globe, to pinpoint the planet's position and mass. Or they can examine the dimming of the star as the planet passes in front, a method known as transit photometry that helps to determine the planetâ(TM)s radius.