The amazing disappearing exoplanet
Summary
Astronomers usually rely on the highly regular orbits of discovered exoplanets to track their movements and detect additional worlds in the same system. However, recent observations reveal instances of distant planets that unexpectedly vanish from view. Understanding these mysterious disappearing celestial bodies helps researchers refine their methods for mapping complex extrasolar systems.
One nice thing about discovering exoplanets is that, once you work out how long their orbits take, they continue to show up like clockwork. The timing is so regular, in fact, that we can use variations to detect the gravitational influence of additional planets in the same exosolar system. And the precise timing is useful in that we can rely…
Source: Read the full story at Ars Technica