Question

In the early days of exoplanet discovery, almost all of the planets found were hot Jupiters. Why?

a) hot Jupiters emit a lot more light than other planets, so they are easy to see
b) hot Jupiters produce larger wobbles in their parent stars than other planets
c) hot Jupiters orbit farther from their stars than other planets, so they are easier to see
d) hot Jupiters tend to evaporate, producing distinctive spectral lines in the stars they orbit
e) hot Jupiters have longer orbital periods, which are easier to measure

Answer 1

Hot Jupiters were frequently discovered in the early days of exoplanet discovery because they are easier to detect using the Doppler technique. They orbit close to their stars and cause observable wobbles in the motion of their parent stars.

Step-by-step explanation:

The early days of exoplanet discovery mainly revealed hot Jupiters, which are giant planets orbiting close to their stars. The reason for this is that the Doppler technique used to detect exoplanets is most effective at finding planets that are both close to their stars and massive.

These hot Jupiters cause significant "wiggles" in the motion of their parent stars and produce large Doppler shifts in the star's spectrum, making them easier to detect.