Exoplanet Detectives: A Transit Method Activity
About Educational Resource
In this activity, participants will learn about the transit method to find exoplanets — planets outside our solar system. Using a trifold display board, a lamp, and exoplanet shadow puppets, participants will explore how exoplanets passing in front of (transiting) their host stars can block starlight, making the stars appear dimmer. This creates dips in brightness that are tracked in graphs called light curves and can reveal distant worlds. Participants will then match different transit scenarios to their corresponding light curves. Participants will learn:
- Exoplanets are planets outside our solar system.
- Most exoplanets are detected via the starlight they block as they pass between their star and an observer.
- Astronomers track changes in a star’s brightness to detect exoplanets and determine an exoplanet’s size and orbital properties.
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