Why have very few planets with low mass (comparable to Mars or Mercury)been found?
A)These small planets are very rare.
B)Low mass planets do not produce large enough radial velocity changes in their stars.
C)High mass planets are blocking our views of low mass planets.
D)Hot Jupiters have ejected most low mass planets from their solar systems.
E)Low mass planets are too far from their parent stars to receive enough light to make themvisible from Earth.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Low mass planets do not produce large enough radial velocity changes in their stars, making them difficult to detect with current technology. Low mass planets do not produce large enough radial velocity changes in their stars, which makes them difficult to detect using the radial velocity method. This method relies on measuring the small back-and-forth wobble of the star due to the gravitational pull of an orbiting planet, and this wobble is proportional to the planet's mass. Therefore, low mass planets will produce smaller radial velocity changes that are more difficult to detect.

Why Have Very Few Planets with Low Mass (Comparable to Mars