transitmenetelmä

Transitmenetelmä, often translated as the "transit method," is a technique used in astronomical observations to detect exoplanets. It relies on the principle that when a planet passes in front of its host star from our perspective, it causes a slight dip in the star's brightness. This dip is known as a transit.

The transit method measures the star's light over time. If a periodic dimming occurs, it suggests that an object is regularly orbiting the star and blocking some of its light. The depth of the dip in brightness is proportional to the size of the transiting planet relative to its star. The duration of the transit and the time between successive transits provide information about the planet's orbital period and its size.

This method is particularly effective for detecting planets that orbit close to their stars and whose orbital planes are aligned with our line of sight. While it cannot directly measure a planet's mass, it can be combined with other methods, such as the radial velocity method, to determine both the mass and radius, thus providing a more complete picture of the exoplanet's properties. Large astronomical surveys, like Kepler and TESS, have utilized the transit method to discover thousands of exoplanets, significantly expanding our understanding of planetary systems beyond our own.