When we think of extrasolar Earth-like planets, the first tendency is to imagine weird creatures like Jar Jar Binks, Chewbacca, and, if those are not bizarre enough, maybe even the pointy-eared Vulcan ...

"A few planetary systems happen to be oriented so that the planets [can cross the face of] their home star as seen from Earth. When this occurs, the dimming of the star's light can be detected using ...