Transcript NASA Kepler EPO

Update on NASA Kepler EPO
Alan Gould
Lawrence Hall of Science
University of California
Berkeley
What We Plan To Do...
Resources on Kepler website:
Animations
Activity: Exoplanet Transit Hunt
Uncle Al's Starwheels activity
Overview of Kepler Mission
Activity: Human Orrery
Activity: Transit Tracks
http://kepler.nasa.gov
Activity:
Uncle Al's
Kepler
Starwheels
Grade Levels
Good for grades 4 and up (must have map reading ability)
Investigation for
high school is in
A Changing
Cosmos, the
latest version of
Hands-On
Universe for
high school
Tonight...10 pm ...
2.2 What constellation
just rose, almost due
east?
2.3 What constellation
is setting in the
northwest?
2.4 What constellation
is closest to the zenith
(highest place in the
sky; center of the
map)?
Rotate the Star Wheel
FORWARD by 2 hours.
Tonight...Midnight...
2.6 What constellation
is closest to the
zenith?
2.7 What constellation
is rising, almost due
east?
2.8 What constellation
is setting in the west?
Rotate the Star Wheel
FORWARD another 2
hours
Tomorrow morning...2 am.
2.10 What constellation is
closest to the zenith?
2.11 What constellation is
rising in the northeast?
2.12 What constellation is
setting in the northwest?
What star in the sky does
not seem to change its
position ever.
2.13 What constellation is
near the zenith on New
Year's Eve at 11 p.m.?
New Year’s Eve... 11 pm.
2.13 What
constellation is near
the zenith on New
Year's Eve at 11 p.m.?
2.14 In what month is
the Big Dipper (Ursa
Major) highest in the
sky at midnight?
2.15 About what time
is Leo setting (in the
northwest) on the
summer solstice
(about June 21)?
Big Dipper near zenith
2.14 In what month is
the Big Dipper (Ursa
Major) highest in the
sky at midnight?
2.15 About what time
is Leo setting (in the
northwest) on the
summer solstice
(about June 21)?
Leo setting
2.15 About what time
is Leo setting (in the
northwest) on the
summer solstice
(about June 21)?
When is the Kepler
Target Field highest
in the sky?
Kepler FOV near zenith...
When is the Kepler
Target Field highest
in the sky?
kepler.nasa.gov - in Education...
Download from
Kepler website
Southern
hemisphere
version at Handson Universe
website (no
Kepler FOV)
Has 40 nakedeye stars with
exoplanets....
Activity:
Transit
Tracks
Imagine you have a light sensor
aimed at the star.
BRIGHTNESS
What would the transit of a book
look like if you made a graph of
light intensity vs time?
0
0
TIME
BRIGHTNESS
Like this?
0
0
TIME
BRIGHTNESS
What would the transit of a planet look like if
you made a graph of light intensity vs time?
0
TIME
0
Perhaps like this?
Such graphs are called “light curves.”
BRIGHTNESS
How would a planet’s size and orbit period
affect the transit—light curve?
0
TIME
0
The light curve can lead to finding
the
SIZE of the planet and its DISTANCE
from the star.
Why would those characteristics be
important?
Is there a relationship between
the planet’s period
and
how far it is from the star?
Simulated Data
Example: Star A
Simulated Data
Example: Star A
A
0.2
Example: Star A
A
0.2
.36
Simulated Data
Example: Star A
A
0.2
.36
0.81
Example: Star A
A
0.2
.36
0.81
0.9
9
Looking for Earth-size planet
Remember:
0.01% drop in
brightness?
1 year period?
Worksheet for Algebra (grades8-10?)
Derivation of Planet Size
LEGO Transit Model
Data display--laptop
Detector
Star
Orrery--planets
http://kepler.nasa.gov
Update on NASA Kepler EPO
Alan Gould <[email protected]>
510-643-5082
Lawrence Hall of Science
University of California
Berkeley