The phrase "orbital period" refers to the time it takes for an object, like a planet or a satellite, to complete one full orbit around another object, like a star or a planet. Full definition
It will also point those telescopes at one patch of the sky for long periods of time, allowing it to observe the relatively long orbital periods of planets in the habitable zone. (sciencemag.org)
In these cases, astronomers can reliably determine their short orbital periods, ranging from hours to days to a couple years. (keckobservatory.org)
The co-authors suggest that future studies looking to find and study possibly habitable planets around short - term binary stars should focus on those with longer orbital periods than about 7.5 days. (sciencedaily.com)