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If a star appears to wobble back back and forth, or its light seems to change in brightness, what might be the cause?

If a star appears to wobble back back and forth, or its light seems to change in brightness-example-1
User Caladan
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2 Answers

2 votes

Answer:

The way it’s orbiting

Step-by-step explanation:

User Gaurav Wadhwani
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4 votes

Answer:

The first method, known as the wobble method, looks for changes in a star's relative velocity caused by the gravitational tug of a nearby planet. ... If a planet's orbit crosses between its parent star and Earth, it will block some of the light and cause the star to dim.

Step-by-step explanation:

We all know that the chains of gravity shackle a planet to its star. That star's enormous gravitational influence keeps its planetary family in orbit. But gravity works both ways: as the planets sweep around in their orbits, they tug on their parent stars to and fro, causing those stars to wobble

User Mark Rabey
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