The Doppler Dance: How Radial Velocity Reveals Exoplanets episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 5, 2025 · 5 MIN

The Doppler Dance: How Radial Velocity Reveals Exoplanets

from Intellectually Curious · host Mike Breault

A deep dive into how astronomers detect planets around other stars by watching tiny wobbles in starlight. We explain the Doppler shift, radial velocity measurements, and the quest from the first hot Jupiter 51 Pegasi b to the centimeter-per-second precision of HARPS. We'll cover the M sin I mass ambiguity, the challenge of stellar noise, and how combining radial velocity with transits unlocks true planet masses. Finally, we glimpse the future with Espresso and Codex and the race toward true Earth analogs in the habitable zone.Note:  This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can make mistakes.  Please double-check any critical information.Sponsored by Embersilk LLC

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Sep 5, 2025

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A deep dive into how astronomers detect planets around other stars by watching tiny wobbles in starlight. We explain the Doppler shift, radial velocity measurements, and the quest from the first hot Jupiter 51 Pegasi b to the centimeter-per-second precision of HARPS. We'll cover the M sin I mass ambiguity, the challenge of stellar noise, and how combining radial velocity with transits unlocks true planet masses. Finally, we glimpse the future with Espresso and Codex and the race toward true E...

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The Doppler Dance: How Radial Velocity Reveals Exoplanets

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