Stellar Wobble and Exoplanet Detection · BPhO 2014 #5
Physics · mechanics
Problem
Imagine that you are an observer on a planet of a nearby star such as Proximae Centauri (if it has one). You might notice that our Sun seems to wobble slightly with a somewhat complex wobble. This observed wobble has been used to detect planets round other stars.
i) What is the wobble due to?
ii) Using the data provided find the maximum speed of the wobble.
iii) What other method might be used to detect a planet orbiting a distant star?