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From the wobble you can determine the approximate mass of the planet and how long it takes to orbit it's sun. I suppose you might be able to deduce some things
by elihu 9y ago
From the wobble you can determine the approximate mass of the planet and how long it takes to orbit it's sun. I suppose you might be able to deduce some things about the shape of its orbit as well.
Knowing what a planet is made of would require some other technique. I think the best you could do from looking at the wobble would be to say things like "planets that orbit stars like this and having a mass of such and such with an orbital period of so many days are likely to be made of the same things that other planets with those characteristics are made of".
On the other hand, we can know pretty easily quite a lot about what it's host star is made of by examining the light it emits.
- neom 9y agoIf we can detect wobble, can we detect composition? (If someone observing us was more advanced, if they can detect wobble they can probably deduce composition?)
- saagarjha 9y agoProbably, because we’ve been doing it for other exoplanets already. Wobble and composition are detected in different ways, though.
- wallace_f 9y agoI suppose two Jupiters on the same orbital plane, 180 degrees from each other, would cancel out? Is it possible for observers to really know we have 4 rocky planets, 4 gas giants, and what their mass is, etc? Or, with what degree of certainty could this be known, and from what distance?
- animal531 9y agoI don't believe you can have 2 planets in the same orbit, and once they're in different orbits they'll take a different amount of time to orbit; so you should be able to get individual measurements. Edit: Well, as per the simulated stable thread, apparently you can have Trojan etc pairs of planets in the same orbit. Interesting.
- Already__Taken 9y agoThere's possible and there's likely to happen in nature. two opposing planets in symmetry you'd have to have symmetric mass all around to cancel the forces out. One side will have the galactic centre on and the other won't might even be enough of a tiny imbalance to disrupt the orbits as you say.