See original sources in Nature and RedOrbit.
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A new method, based on the so called optical combs, has been developed to detect extraterrestrial planets.
Current techniques are limited by the resolution of telescopes and the quality of the calibration sources.
The trick is the next: imagine that the spectrum of the star you're investigating is flat. A line in the sand, so to say.
If there's a planet orbiting the star, when it crosses the star you should see a deep in this line, or a discontinuity, if the amount of light blocked is enough to "affect" your detector.
To put a clear example, think about a solar eclipse. If the moon-our moon-were small, Could we still manage to see the sunlight During The total eclipse. In the limit, we do not see with the naked eye the effects of Mercury passing Between the Sun and us.
This is Not Exactly the picture, sincere What is Not Measured is the light Itself But The Doppler wobble (tiny Variations on the Doppler effect created by the rotation of the star).
To Give Some numbers, actual resolution Measurements on Doppler wobble is of the order of 100 cm / s.
With this resolution, Obtained using calibration patterns discharge lamps as the harvest is 261 extrasolar planets, Jupiter-like Mostly, Some of Them in the Same stellar system.
Do you
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