TRUE MASS

The term 'true mass' is synonymous with the term mass, but is used in astronomy to differentiate the measured mass of a planet from the lower limit of mass usually obtained from radial velocity techniques. McDonald Observatory astronomers discover Neptune-sized planet with Hobby-Eberly Telescope Methods used to determine the true mass of a planet include measuring the distance and period of one of its satellites^[1], advanced astrometry techniques that use the motions of other planets in the same star system, and combining radial velocity techniques with transit observations.^[2]

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See also

References

See also

★ Rest mass

References

1. The Mass of Dwarf Planet Eris, M.E. Brown and E.L. Schaller, , , Science, 2007
2. How do we know the density of some extrasolar planets?