{"id":11996,"date":"2024-09-19T18:04:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T22:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/when-will-that-star-dim-amateur-planet-chasers-got-you\/"},"modified":"2024-09-19T18:04:02","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T22:04:02","slug":"when-will-that-star-dim-amateur-planet-chasers-got-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/when-will-that-star-dim-amateur-planet-chasers-got-you\/","title":{"rendered":"When Will That Star Dim? Amateur Planet-Chasers Got You!"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Will That Star Dim? Amateur Planet-Chasers Got You!<\/h2>\n

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Artists Concept of the WASP-77 A b system.<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A planet swings in front of its star, dimming the starlight we see. Events like these, called transits, provide us with bounties of information about exoplanets\u2013planets around stars other than the Sun. But predicting when these special events occur can be challenging\u2026unless you have help from volunteers.<\/p>\n

Luckily, a collaboration of multiple teams of amateur planet-chasers, led by researcher Federico R. Noguer from Arizona State University and researchers from NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), has taken up the challenge. This collaboration has published the most precise physical and orbital parameters to date for an important exoplanet called WASP-77 A b.<\/a>\u00a0 These precise parameters help us predict future transit events and are crucial for planning spacecraft observations and accurate atmospheric modeling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a retired dentist and now citizen scientist for Exoplanet Watch, research opportunities like this give me a way to learn and contribute to this amazingly exciting field of astrophysics,\u201d said Anthony Norris, a citizen scientist working on the NASA-funded Exoplanet Watch project.<\/a><\/p>\n

The study combined amateur astronomy\/citizen science data from the Exoplanet Watch and ExoClock<\/a> projects, as well as the Exoplanet Transit Database<\/a>. It also incorporated data from NASA\u2019s Spitzer Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and La Silla Observatory. Exoplanet Watch invites volunteers to participate in groundbreaking exoplanet research, using their own telescopes to observe exoplanets or by analyzing data others have gathered. You may have read another recent article<\/a> about how the Exoplanet Watch team helped validate a new exoplanet candidate.<\/p>\n

WASP-77 A b is a gas giant exoplanet that orbits a Sun-like star. It\u2019s only about 20% larger than Jupiter. But that\u2019s where the similarities to our solar system end. This blazing hot gas ball orbits right next to its star\u2013more than 200 times closer to its star than our Jupiter!
Want a piece of the action? Join the Exoplanet Watch project<\/a> and help contribute to cutting-edge exoplanet science! Anyone can participate\u2013participation does not require citizenship in any particular country.<\/p>\n

Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/iopscience.iop.org\/article\/10.1088\/1538-3873\/ad57f5<\/a><\/p>\n

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