how are we able to see planets that are 100’s of lightyears away? By continually increasing the magnification of a telescope? How do we know anything about the planets atmosphere if it’s that far away? For example, the Corot-7b, we are told it rains rocks there.
In: Technology
We don’t actually see them. When the plant passes in front of its star, it blocks some of the sunlight. We see the sunlight dim in a very predictable way. By doing some calculation we can figure out the size of the planet and how far it is from its star.
We can tell the chemistry of the atmosphere by looking at the light. By using a prism, we can tell what the Star is made of. And then, when the planet first starts to pass in front of the star some of this light passes through its atmosphere. By using a prism and comparing the changes in the light we can tell what the planets atmosphere is made of. Imagine looking at a flashlight at night, and then looking at it when there is smoke in front of it. It changes right?
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