How to Find an Exoplanet

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Minute Physics provides an energetic and entertaining view of old and new problems in physics -- all in a minute!

[caramida]

"Back in my day, I was considered a planet..."
-Pluto

[MilitanT]

It is not like Pluto cares about our validations.

[Nanenna]

Ah, you included the first four asteroid belt bodies discovered! Thank you so much for that inclusion, the amount of people upset about Pluto who don't even know of the other four is just... ridiculous. This is a wonderfully educational video and program, thanks!

[ImNoctica]

What section is the bible in on audible? Fiction or non fiction?

[SogMosee]

I think stars are, like, cool, and stuff

[NataliaSantoro]

I love how simple and well edited your videos are! Thanks

[ThePakeezah]

I love astronomy and anything about it, so this video just made my day :)

[Xclann]

For the second method (star wobbling), how can we determine the planet's information if there are more than one planet orbiting the star?
It seems to me that we can only get precise planet information if only one planet orbited the star (relatively speaking)...

[stuffever]

Man, I feel sorry for Pluto. Spend decades as a majestic frozen planet. But now it's just a dwarf ball of ice. It's like that cop that screw up and they take his gun away and put him in a shopping mall... Astronomers doesn't have a heart.

[HiAdrian]

I thought some of the recent videos weren't up to par, but this episode was well explained and a good length. Nice work!

[TheKarinaRox]

How to find an Exoplanet

Go to SM.

[updown]

Half the time, I just barely understand what minutephysics' videos are actually talking about. I just watch them because they make me feel smart.

[CloudCuckooCountry]

Things just keep getting worse and worse for Pluto. It must totally suck being told that you're special beyond your own comprehend and then slowly but assuredly finding out that you're completely ordinary...

Wait, what am I talking about? Pluto doesn't have feelings.

[darkenergylambda]

Relativistic beaming for those interested involves a planet tugging on the star causing an increase in the density of photons towards the observer thus making the star brighter. Its limited to Jupiter-like planets at distance of 0.025 AU. So its not very practical but serves as a method for checking other techniques.

[DaAijin]

"Your mom said I'm big enough"
~Pluto

[GuywithThoughts]

Can you do a video on how refrigeration works? To me, it's one of the most significant scientific advancements we have. Also, it's pretty neat how we can use energy to cool things. In my mind, I associate energy with heat, so it's cool how it works. (see what I did there?)

[FunZack]

It's okay Pluto, I'm not a planet either.

[fictionmyth]

I have a weird question that is probably addressed early in physics classes that I never took.

What I would like to understand is, if space has no "center" per say, except maybe the starting point of the Big Bang. Then how do we measure speed at all? I mean, if for instance, Earth is the dead center of the universe. The Sun is then traveling around it at 1 cycle a year but the other planets aren't traveling around the Earth. So, what would you relate their speeds to? Would they be speeding up as the planets move away and slowing down as they get closer, because from our perspective we wouldn't be seeing them at the same speed. This, I understand, is the whole reason calculus exists. So, I know I am over simplifying the issue and probably misunderstanding something crucial.

For instance, if the universe (meaning whatever space/time we are sitting in) is traveling at 1 trillion mph in a single direction, then we go backwards into that direction at the same speed, wouldn't we be stopping? So, if we are going backwards into space at that stopping speed, would special relativity kick in and cause us to experience time dilation, or would there not be any effect at all, since we are technically losing speed.

or is space/time affixed in such a way that empty space is just a consistent thing that doesn't have the properties I'm giving it, but if that's the case, what about if it were in relation to the galactic spin. So, that instead of us moving with our arm of the Milky Way, we "stop" in relation to it? Which would require us moving at enormous speeds relative to it.

I hope I explained that well, anyways, thanks for your time whoever reads this.

[carminelights]

When I saw the Exoplanet word, I thought you were talking about EXO from SM
°_°

[liamjackson]

I don't know if you've done one yet, but please do one about the unobserved reality, the whole "If a tree falls, in the woods with no one to hear it does it make a sound?" And whether something can exist without being perceived?