Transcript Bringing E.T. into Your Classroom The Search for

Bringing E.T. into Your
Classroom
The Search for Extra solar
Planets
Gary Lawhon
Dave Baltenberger
Nebular theory of solar system
formation would lead us to believe
planets should be associated with most
.
stars
Why are these planets so hard to
find?
Planets are really
small
If the Sun is a grapefruit on the West coast of US
then
The Earth is a pinhead about 15 meters away
and Jupiter is a marble 80 meters away
and
The nearest star to our solar system is on the
East coast………….so
You are trying to find a pinhead on a grapefruit
about 2500 miles away plus the star is a billion
times brighter than its planets
How can we find Extra solar
Planets?
Direct Detection
Despite advances in technology it is beyond modern
telescopes to find extrasolar planets very easily using
direct detection
How can we find Extra solar
Planets?
If we can’t just find these extra solar planets
in a telescope how do we know they exist?
Indirect Evidence
Measure properties of the star and reveal
the presence of extra solar planets
Does a Planet influence its Star?
All objects in the
solar system orbit
a common center
of mass
Sun is so large that
this center of mass
is inside the Sun
Center of Mass
Orbiting planet causes its star to
“wobble”
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/R/radial_velocity_method.html
Make Your Own Wobbling Sun
Can We Detect Extrasolar Planets
using other Methods?
Transit method: A planet passing it front of its
star produces a change in brightness of
1/10,000 lasting for 2 to 16 hours
Can we detect that?
Credit: NASA
Kepler mission
The Kepler spacecraft lifted off March 6, 2009
Kepler field of view
http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/kepler_hlsp/
Excel graph from Kepler data
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http://lasp.colorado.edu/education/outerplanets/exoplanets.php#kepler
http://astro.unl.edu/naap/esp/animations/transitSimulator.html
http://kepler.nasa.gov/multimedia/Interactives/keplerFlashAdvDiscovery/#
planethunters.org
Detecting Extra solar Planets
• Use star wobble to detect planets
– Wobbling star models
• Kepler looks for dimming of the star to
detect presence of extra solar planet
– Use Kepler data to create Excel graphs to
identify pattern of star dimming
– Use websites to recreate hunt for extra solar
planets
GPS Standards
Astronomy – SAST6 – Students will explore connections between cosmic
phenomena and conditions necessary for life.
Physical Science - SPSP9 – Students will investigate the properties of
waves.
f) Explain the Doppler Effect in terms of everyday interactions.
• (Doppler shift of spectral lines & radial velocity)
Biology – SB1 – Students will analyze the nature of relationships between
structures and functions in living cells.
d) Explain the impact of water on life processes.
SB5 – Students will evaluate the role of natural selection in the
development of the theory of evolution.
(concepts of what defines the “habitable zone” can be brought in here)
GPS Standards
Earth Systems – SES1 – Students will investigate the composition and
formation of Earth systems, including Earth’s relationship to the
solar system.
• (habitable zone)
Chemistry
SC3 – Students will use modern atomic theory to explain the
characteristics of atoms.
f) Relate light emission and movement of electrons to element
identification.
(spectroscopy and detection by radial velocity/Doppler shift)
SC4 – Student will use the organization of the Periodic Table to
predict properties of elements.
b) Compare and contrast trends in the chemical and physical
properties of elements and their placement on the Periodic Table.
(concepts of Habitable Zone, carbon-based life vs. thoughts on
silicon-based life. Also water vs. ammonia)
GPS Standards
• Environmental Science – SEV2 – Students will
demonstrate an understanding that the Earth is
one interconnected system.
a) Describe how the abiotic components
(water, air, and energy) affect the biosphere.
(Habitable Zone)
Astronomy Themed Summer Workshops:
Chem., Physics, Phys. Sci. GPS
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High School Teachers Only This Year
Search for Life in the Universe
Sun Earth Connection: Space Weather
Stars: Formation of the Elements
Crash, Bang, Galaxies!
Email [email protected] for information
• http://cheller.phy.georgiasouthern.edu/gears
This workshop funded by NASA Office of Education Grant
NNX09AH83A and supported by the Georgia Department of
Education, Columbus State University, and Georgia Southern
University