How Winking Stars Point Us To Distant Worlds

The transit method is a successful technique for detecting exoplanets by observing distant eclipses. As a planet transits its star, it causes a slight drop in brightness, which can be detected by sensitive cameras. By analyzing the timing and magnitude of these drops, scientists can infer the size and distance of the planet. This method has already discovered thousands of exoplanets, and with future missions, it is expected to find many more.

What do larger drops in brightness typically indicate about the planet?

What has the transit method achieved in terms of discovering planets outside our solar system?