On the Track of Alien Planets – The Transit Method (∼23% of All Exoplanet Primary Discoveries)

Abstract

Transits, eclipses and occultations are all essentially the same phenomenon. They are events when one astronomical object passes in front of another. During an eclipse the two objects are of comparable angular sizes – like the Moon eclipsing the Sun (Figure 6.1). In an occultation the distant object is angularly small compared with the nearer one – like the Moon occulting a star, whilst for a transit the situation is reversed – like one of Jupiter’s satellites being silhouetted against the disk of the planet.