From: LARRY KLAES (ljk4@msn.com)
Date: Fri Oct 04 2002 - 10:36:18 PDT
----- Original Message -----
From: Larry Kellogg
Sent: Friday, October 04, 2002 1:31 PM
To: lunar-update@lists.arc.nasa.gov
Cc: lkellogg@mail.arc.nasa.gov
Subject: AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS RAMP UP TO DISCOVER TRANSITS OF EXTRA-SOLARPLANETS
One more time because this event takes place Oct 5 and Oct 30.
We will have the scientists for Keppler working on the data from that
mission off in 2006. They have been looking for planets over the
years with Earth bound telescopes here at Lick and the Keppler
mission will put you up above the atmosphere for a lot larger view.
Nice you say, but what can I do now? If you are an amateur
astronomer looking up you might join in and add some extra eyes
looking towards the sky for EXTRA-SOLAR PLANETS.
«Start of snippet»
During the nights of Oct. 5 and Oct. 30, backyard sky-watchers will
get their chance. On those dates, a planet twice as big as Jupiter,
orbiting the star HD 68988, has an 8 percent chance of passing in
front of its star, giving amateur astronomers the chance to confirm
the existence of a Jupiter-sized planet outside our solar system. The
star, located near the Big Dipper in the northern sky, is too faint
to see without a telescope.
«End of snippet»
If you are interested, read on and take a look at the new website
that is starting up to coordinate the sightings.
«Start of http://www.transitsearch.org snippet»
The purpose of transitsearch.org is to coordinate and direct a
cooperative observational effort which will allow experienced amateur
astronomers and small college observatories to discover transiting
extrasolar planets. In order to maximize the chances of success, and
in order to utilize the advantages of a network of small telescopes
most effectively, we are adopting the strategy of observing known
planet-bearing stars at the dates and times when transits are
expected to occur. At present, all of the confirmed extrasolar
planets orbiting sun-like stars in the galactic neighborhood have
been discovered using the Doppler radial velocity technique (see
www.exoplanets.org for the current catalog of extrasolar planets and
an explanation of the Doppler technique itself).
«End of http://www.transitsearch.org snippet»
Larry
==========================================================
Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2002 14:39:07 -0700
To: ames-releases@lists.arc.nasa.gov
From: "NASANEWS@Ames" <NASANEWS@mail.arc.nasa.gov>
Subject: AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS RAMP UP TO DISCOVER TRANSITS OF EXTRA-SOLAR
PLANETS
Kathleen Burton Oct. 3, 2002
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Phone: 650/604-1731 or 604-9000
E-mail: kburton@mail.arc.nasa.gov
RELEASE: 02-104AR
AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS RAMP UP TO DISCOVER TRANSITS OF EXTRA-SOLAR PLANETS
Astronomers at NASA and the University of California at Santa Cruz
have launched a Web-based project that has amateur astronomers lining
up to have a chance to discover extra-solar planets that 'transit' or
pass in front of their parent stars.
Of the more than 100 known extra-solar planets discovered so far,
only one (called HD 209458 b) is known to pass in front of its star,
as seen from Earth. The small dimming of a star during such a transit
will allow amateur astronomers to perform valuable measurements that
can aid scientists by determining the planet's size, and potentially
reveal the planet's atmospheric composition and the presence of rings
or moons in orbit around it.
"We welcome the assistance of a large number of dedicated and
experienced amateur astronomers around the world to add to our
understanding of the nature of extra-solar planets," said Dr. Tim
Castellano, an astronomer based at NASA Ames Research Center and
co-investigator of the Web project.
During the nights of Oct. 5 and Oct. 30, backyard sky-watchers will
get their chance. On those dates, a planet twice as big as Jupiter,
orbiting the star HD 68988, has an 8 percent chance of passing in
front of its star, giving amateur astronomers the chance to confirm
the existence of a Jupiter-sized planet outside our solar system. The
star, located near the Big Dipper in the northern sky, is too faint
to see without a telescope.
The basic search technique used by the amateurs scanning the autumn
skies this month will involve taking a night-long series of
electronic images of the star HD 68898 and surrounding stars. The
astronomers will use these images and specialized software to look
for small changes in brightness characterizing a planet's transit, a
technique called 'transit photometry.'
Candidate stars such as HD 68898 for the amateur astronomers to
observe, are chosen using the "wobble method," by which the first
extra-solar planet was detected in 1995. With this method,
professional astronomers use large telescopes to watch for the minute
'wobble' (the Doppler shift) of a star caused by the tug of an unseen
planet orbiting it.
"The participation of dozens of astronomers means that more
planet-bearing stars can be scrutinized during the intervals when
possible transits are predicted," said the site's co-creator, Dr.
Greg Laughlin, an assistant professor of astronomy at the University
of California, Santa Cruz. Having observers in various locales around
the world will provide 24-hour availability and reduce the dependence
on local weather, he said. "The signature of a planetary transit is
very subtle, so multiple simultaneous observations provide a vitally
needed redundancy."
The two researchers work as a team, with Laughlin serving as the
theorist, calculating transit times and probabilities based on the
radial velocity data from the California Planet Search team.
Castellano is the observer, who demonstrated that the necessary
measurements can be made with only a small backyard telescope. He
will provide guidance on observing and data analysis to the amateur
astronomers.
Requirements for astronomers who want to sign up for an observing
shift are a computer-controlled telescope, a charge coupled device
(CCD) camera and personal computer, and software to record and
analyze the small changes in stellar brightness that will be produced
by a planet. Previous experience measuring the brightness of variable
stars or success in observing the known transit of HD 209458 with a
CCD camera also are highly recommended, the researchers say.
Interested participants should visit:
for exact transit time predictions and further details.
The development of the Website was partially supported through the
NASA Ames Research Center's Director's Discretionary Fund, via a
grant of two-year startup funds.
In December 2001, NASA selected the Kepler Mission, a project based
at NASA Ames, as one of the next NASA Discovery missions. The Kepler
Mission, scheduled for launch in 2006, will use a spaceborne
telescope to search for Earth-like planets around stars beyond our
solar system.
-end-
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Also, the NASA Ames News homepage at URL,
http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov includes news releases and JPEG images
in AP Leaf Desk format minus embedded captions.
==========================================================
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK
==========================================================
--
Larry R. Kellogg
lkellogg@mail.arc.nasa.gov
http://spaceprojects.arc.nasa.gov/Space_Projects/SFDivision/index.html
http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/resources/news.htm
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