A Neptune sized planet, 3.9 times the radius of Earth,
would still block some starlight but not as much as
represented by the distribution of green dots. An Earth
size planet would decrease the starlight by a fraction of
an amount as seen by the distribution of red dots. This is
an imperceptible difference to the untrained eye and
less sensitive telescopes, but with the advent of Kepler
sized worlds is becoming more frequent.
You can also simulate this transit method at home by
taking different sized balls and passing them in front of
the bulb will dip by varying amounts according to the
size of the ball passing in front of it and the length of
time the ball takes to pass in front of the bulb.
Human pattern recognition is being relied upon
to spot those patterns in the Kepler data that have
been missed by the computers back on Earth. Firstly
volunteers are being asked to check for data offsets
that look like errors that could be corrected. Secondly,
volunteers can check for variability in star data, i.e. if
a star’s data looks scattered but constant, or if there
are cyclical variations in the star. Lastly, volunteers can
highlight any “transit events” they have found in the
Kepler data which will look like low points or a low spike
in a data set.
As a registered volunteer citizen scientist you can
corroborate observations along with other volunteers
Hunters (see image #11).
Already we have begun to see a large increase in
the rate of discovery of worlds closer to our own solar
system, hence the need for a united Earth of citizen
scientists.
The race is on between man and machine. This is
a great experiment for an interconnected human
super computer of voluntary citizen scientists versus
the interconnected machine super computers. The
Image #11: Perhaps you can help discover the next exoplanet from real
Kepler data.
Credit: www.planethunters.org
http://talk.
planethunters.org/). Actively involving volunteer citizen
scientists in real research will enhance our knowledge
of the universe and our place in it. The ultimate prize
rocky, in its parent’s star’s habitable zone, with the right
atmospheric conditions and the signatures of liquid
water. Could life evolve there? The age old question
“are we alone?” has never been more ready for an
Using the Kepler Space Telescope data NASA
exoplanet “Kepler-186f” 500 light years from Earth in
its parent M dwarf star’s Habitable Zone where liquid
suggests this world is likely to be rocky but we have yet
to determine its mass, density, the signatures of liquid
like the James Webb Space Telescope, can uncover
brings us even closer to the ultimate prize and answer
for that age old question. Yet more strange new worlds
await our discovery and exploration.
space themed projects in the Zooniverse you can
participate in. Other non-space projects include:
• Climate: Cyclone Center - Classify over 30 years
of tropical cyclone data with scientists at NOAA’s
National Climatic Data Center
• Nature: Sea Floor Explorer - Help explore the ocean
Credit: The Zooniverse
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Oceanographic Institution
• Nature: Whale FM – Help marine researchers
understand what whales are saying by grouping
similar sounding whale calls together
Students, teachers, in fact everyone and anyone can
become a volunteer citizen scientist and p 'F