Editing Light curve (section)

== Microlensing ==
{{main|Gravitational microlensing}}

Microlensing is a process where relatively small and low-mass astronomical objects cause a brief small increase in the brightness of a more distant object. This is caused by the small [[general relativity|relativistic effect]] as larger [[gravitational lens]]es, but allows the detection and analysis of otherwise-invisible stellar and planetary mass objects. The properties of these objects can be inferred from the shape of the lensing light curve. For example, [[PA-99-N2]] is a microlensing event that may have been due to a star in the [[Andromeda Galaxy]] that has an [[exoplanet]].<ref name=haugan/>