exoplanetám
Exoplanets, or extrasolar planets, are planets that orbit stars other than the Sun. Since the first confirmed detections in the 1990s, thousands have been found, spanning a wide range of sizes, compositions, and orbital configurations. Detection methods include the transit method, where a planet passes in front of its star causing a dip in brightness, and the radial velocity method, which measures star wobbles due to gravitational pull. Other methods include direct imaging, gravitational microlensing, and astrometry.
Many exoplanets are gas giants larger than Neptune, including hot Jupiters that orbit very close to their
Key missions such as NASA's Kepler and its successor K2, and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS),
Notable examples include the TRAPPIST-1 system with seven roughly Earth-sized planets; Proxima Centauri b, orbiting the