A planet in another stellar system blocks light from the star orbits when transiting the star.

Extrasolar planet transit photometry is the measure of the amount of light it blocked when transiting its star. It is a relatively new astronomical technique developed over the past decade.

Image Credit: ESO/L. Calçada / CC BY 3.0)

Exoplanets are being discovered by the hundreds today. One of the principal method of exoplanet detection is measuring the change in intensity of a host star as a planet passes between the star and Earth, known as a transit method.

Image Credit: Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

Exoplanet transit photometry contribute significantly to the detection and discovery of extrasolar planet.

As of 28 Feb 2014, there are 1,115 exoplanets discovered using transit method. (Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive)

Image Credit: NASA Ames