SETI seeks amateur astronomers to find hot Jupiter-like exoplanets
Periodic dimming is a telltale sign that an object is orbiting around the star. Whenever planets transit or cross in front of the star, the star's luminosity temporarily decreases. By measuring the length and brightness of these events, researchers can estimate the exoplanet's orbital period, radius, and mass.
"The demand for follow-up observations of transiting exoplanets is greater than ever," the SETI Institute said in a"Regular re-observations by ground-based systems are necessary for confirmed planets to keep their orbital ephemerides updated. The potential for citizen scientist contribution to exoplanet science is high and has exciting implications for STEM education."
Additional data will aid TESS in confirming whether a candidate is a real exoplanet or a false positive like an eclipsing binary star. The Unistellar Exoplanet Campaign will provide professional mentoring and curate a list ofCitizen scientists have already helped astronomers study systems like TOI 1812, a solar system located 563 light years from Earth, home to three exoplanets. The radii and orbital periods were known for two planets, except for the Saturn-sized world codenamed TOI 1812.01.
"The specific properties of this planet, namely its long orbit and long transit duration, put it in a category where citizen science coordinated on a global level like the Unistellar Network can be extremely effective."exoplanet transits and log the coordinates of the object and exposure times. Anyone can join the Slack channel and interact with other citizen scientists.