How Do We Find Exoplanets?

How can we detect planets around other stars? Planets are very faint and small compared to the stars they orbit. To overcome this challenge, scientists use a variety of techniques to find and characterize them.

Production Details

Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute’s Office of Public Outreach.

All images, illustrations, and videos courtesy of NASA and STScI except: 

• Webb telescope animation courtesy of NASA, SkyWorks Digital, Northrop Grumman, STScI
• TRAPPIST-1 planet lineup and planetary orbits courtesy of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The science operations for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, developed in partnership with the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, are conducted by AURA’s Space Telescope Science Institute.

Many thanks to Greg Bacon, John Godfrey, Leah Hustak, Hussein Jirdeh, Brandon Lawton, Nikole Lewis, Alexandra Lockwood, John Maple, Charlie McWade, Bonnie Meinke, Christine Pulliam, Roy Renza, Leah Ramsay, Denise Smith, and Frank Summers.