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Caption
A diagram of the star Copernicus (large circle) from a new study investigating how the exoplanet 55 Cnc e (nicknamed “Janssen” and represented by a black dot) orbits its star. The research revealed that the planet’s orbit (slanted horizontal line) broadly aligns with the star’s equator. This new information was obtained from precise measurements of the host star’s light. As Janssen moves between the star and Earth, the measured starlight dips. The resulting change in the star’s observed color depends on which half of the star Janssen is crossing. Due to the Doppler effect, the hemisphere rotating toward Earth is slightly bluer, the opposite hemisphere spinning away is somewhat redder, and the middle is unchanged.
Credit
L. Zhao et al./Nature Astronomy 2022
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