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Description
The discovery of exoplanets has revolutionized modern Astronomy and the way we understand planetary motion and our planetary system. The transit method as a technique, used to look for extrasolar planets, is one of the most effective techniques in detecting exoplanets. This study focuses on the principles, applications and challenges of the transit method in identifying exoplanets. Moreover, it focuses on exoplanet discoveries done by using this technique which measures the decrease in brightness of the host star as a planet passes in front of it. We examined our current state of knowledge in exoplanet detection using multiple methods but mainly focusing on transit method and highlighting the advantages of using it. The goal of this research is to investigate transit method and detect exoplanets while also examining its advantages and limitations. Furthermore, the study explores the fundamentals of telescope operations. The examination reveals that transit method has been very useful in detecting thousands of exoplanets including potential habitable environments. The approach, in this study, is based on established methods, the Las Cumbres Observatory portal was used to request observations. We used Astrosource to calibrate the images and plot light curves for the three targets. The light curves for the three targets (WASP 160 Bb, WASP 77 Ab and LTT 9779 b) showed the dip in their intensity. The analysis we did to calculate the radii for the exoplanets revealed that WASP 160 Bb has a radius of 1.25 RJ, LTT9779 b has 0.397 RJ and 1.40 RJ for WASP 77 Ab. Comparing the results to the previously published radii of the three exoplanets, our result showed a percentage error of 4.7%, 6% and 15,7% respectively. This might be due to short observation time as well as some external factors. We also discussed the role of current and future missions which is Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite(TESS), in improving our knowledge and understanding of Exoplanetary system.