How Do Astronomers Find Planets in Other Solar Systems?

Since 1992, astronomers have discovered over 6,000 exoplanets orbiting distant stars using two main detection methods. The radial velocity method detects tiny wobbles in stars caused by orbiting planets through Doppler shifts in starlight, while the transit method measures slight brightness decreases when planets pass in front of their stars. Both techniques favor finding large planets close to their stars and require specific alignments, suggesting the actual number of planets could reach 100 sextillion across the universe.