This graphic illuminates the process by which astronomers using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope have, for the first time, detected the light from a super Earth planet.
The brightness of the planet was measured as the star passed behind its star (an “occultation”), causing a slight dip in the total light of the system. The occultation is much easier to detect in infrared light since the planet glows brightly due to its high temperature. Such measurements help astronomers determine conditions on the planet itself.
