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The CORALIE spectrograph is an instrument used in astronomy to detect extrasolar planets. It is part of the effort to study stars and their potential planetary systems.1

Spectrographs, in general, are crucial tools for astronomers. They work by breaking down light into its constituent colors, similar to how a prism separates white light into a rainbow. This allows scientists to analyze the chemical composition of celestial objects by identifying specific wavelengths of light that are absorbed or emitted.2

The CORALIE spectrograph, specifically, is located at the La Silla Observatory in Chile and has been instrumental in discovering numerous extrasolar planet candidates. It achieves this by precisely measuring a star's radial velocity, which is its motion towards or away from Earth. When a planet orbits a star, it causes the star to wobble slightly, and this wobble can be detected as a shift in the star's spectral lines. This technique has opened up the field of exoplanet astronomy.1

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