Program Guide & Resources: Finding Exoplanets

Many exoplanets — worlds beyond our solar system — are very small and faint compared to their bright host stars, making it nearly impossible to spot them directly. Despite this, astronomers have confirmed the existence of more than 5,800 exoplanets to date. How have they managed to find and study so many exoplanets? With these program resources, participants will learn that:

• Exoplanets are planets outside our solar system.
• Most exoplanets are detected indirectly as they pass in front of (transit) their star, revealing some information about their properties.
• By blocking out the bright starlight, telescopes have been used to capture photographs of a handful of exoplanet systems.

Program Guide & Resources

Program Guide: Finding Exoplanets

Facilitator PowerPoint: Finding Exoplanets

Kahoot Quiz: Finding Exoplanets (Kahoot account required)

Exoplanet Detectives: A Transit Method Activity

Lights, Coronagraph, Action! An Exoplanet Direct Imaging Demo

Exoplanet Watch

DIY Planet Search

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