<p>For an overview of the many methods: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methods_of_detecting_exoplanets#Gravitational_microlensing" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia - gravitational microlensing</a>.</p>
<p>Each detection method has a different sensitivity to the inclination of the exo-planet's orbit:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Radial velocity</strong> is most sensitive to side-on planetary orbits as it looks for changes in velocity along the line of sight. Purely face-on planets are undetectable. You need the inclination to get the mass of the planet rather than lower limit on mass.</li>
<li><strong>Transit</strong> can only detect planets nearly side-on.</li>
<li><strong>Imaging</strong> does not depend much on inclination, but the system must be big and close.</li>
<li><strong>Astrometry</strong> does not depend much on orbital inclination as it measures side-to-side motion of star against star.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-24T06:53:56.937Z
2020-08-25T05:40:44.173Z
2020-08-25T05:40:44.173Z
TazAstroSpacial
<p>A quick review of photographs of galaxies will reveal that not all galaxies are orientated in the same plane as the field of view from Earth. Some galaxies are parallel to our field of view and we see them side on. Others are perpendicular to our field of view and we see them as if we are looking either from above or below them.</p>
<p>Given this fact, it would be fair to assume that the orientation of planetary systems is similarly varied. Not all of them are parallel to our field of view.</p>
<p>All the exo-planetary systems I am aware of have been seen in a side view perspective  and any exoplanets have been detected by either a wobble of the star at the center of the planetary system or via dimming of the star's light as the exoplanet transits the star.</p>
<p>Have any exo-planetary systems been discovered that are perpendicular to our field view, looking from above or below the system and if so, how have any exoplanets in these systems been detected? If no such systems have been observed, how would astronomers detect exoplanets in such systems?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-22T16:28:50.217Z
While detection by transits does indeed require the system to be nearly edge-on, detection by radial velocity (“wobble”) doesn’t require that, and most of those systems are likely not exactly edge-on.  For a given planet and star mass, the detected size of the velocity variation changes as sin(i), where i is the inclination of the orbit to our line of sight.  (i=90 is edge-on, i=0 is face-on.)  So at a 45-degree angle, the signal is reduced by less than 30% compared to edge-on. Even at 60 degrees from edge-on you still get half the radial velocity signal.
Eric Jensen
<exoplanet>
Planetary system orientation & the search for exoplanets
Fred
# Planetary system orientation & the search for exoplanets

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-08-19)

A quick review of photographs of galaxies will reveal that not all galaxies are orientated in the same plane as the field of view from Earth. Some galaxies are parallel to our field of view and we see them side on. Others are perpendicular to our field of view and we see them as if we are looking either from above or below them.

Given this fact, it would be fair to assume that the orientation of planetary systems is similarly varied. Not all of them are parallel to our field of view.

All the exo-planetary systems I am aware of have been seen in a side view perspective and any exoplanets have been detected by either a wobble of the star at the center of the planetary system or via dimming of the star's light as the exoplanet transits the star.

Have any exo-planetary systems been discovered that are perpendicular to our field view, looking from above or below the system and if so, how have any exoplanets in these systems been detected? If no such systems have been observed, how would astronomers detect exoplanets in such systems?

**Tags:** exoplanet

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: While detection by transits does indeed require the system to be nearly edge-on, detection by radial velocity (“wobble”) doesn’t require that, and most of those systems are likely not exactly edge-on.  For a given planet and star mass, the detected size of the velocity variation changes as sin(i), where i is the inclination of the orbit to our line of sight.  (i=90 is edge-on, i=0 is face-on.)  So at a 45-degree angle, the signal is reduced by less than 30% compared to edge-on. Even at 60 degrees from edge-on you still get half the radial velocity signal.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-08-24. Score: 1

For an overview of the many methods: [Wikipedia - gravitational microlensing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methods_of_detecting_exoplanets#Gravitational_microlensing).

Each detection method has a different sensitivity to the inclination of the exo-planet's orbit:

* **Radial velocity** is most sensitive to side-on planetary orbits as it looks for changes in velocity along the line of sight. Purely face-on planets are undetectable. You need the inclination to get the mass of the planet rather than lower limit on mass.
* **Transit** can only detect planets nearly side-on.
* **Imaging** does not depend much on inclination, but the system must be big and close.
* **Astrometry** does not depend much on orbital inclination as it measures side-to-side motion of star against star.


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