Currently more than 300 exo planets are know to man orbiting distant stars. Today (June 2009) 43 of those have been observed by amateurs. Observing exo planets is an exiting job and requires very careful work. On 17th of February 2008 I observed XO-2b. This was the first exo planet observation from Danish ground and was a fun and instructive experience. My inspiration came both from my membership of MAF (Midtjysk Astronomiforening) and the book Exoplanet observing for amateurs written by Bruce L. Gary.
The principle of observing exoplanets is a careful meassurement of the star magnitude before, during and after a transit. Variations are typically in 3-30mMag range. Below you'll find some good resources if you want to know more or try it for yourself:
|
Artist impression of an exoplanet in transit.
|
