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Question
- why have most new planets discovered around other stars been very large?
Larger planets have stronger gravitational effects on their host stars. This makes them easier to detect using methods like the radial - velocity method (where the star's wobble due to the planet's gravity is measured) and the transit method (where the planet blocks more of the star's light as it passes in front). Smaller planets have weaker gravitational pulls and cause less noticeable wobbles and smaller dips in light during transits, making them harder to detect with current technology.
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Most new planets discovered around other stars are large because larger planets have stronger gravitational effects on their host stars. This makes them easier to detect using current methods such as the radial - velocity (star wobble) and transit (light - blocking) methods. Smaller planets have weaker gravitational impacts and are more difficult to detect with existing technology.