If you have not seen my previous posts on this topic, my name is Dan Peluso and I am doing my PhD in astrophysics with Franck Marchis (astronomer at the SETI Institute) and as a portion of my research I want to see if it is possible for any astronomy enthusiast around the world to coordinate with planet hunting scientists like us to help contribute to the search for planets around other stars (a.k.a. exoplanets).
Currently, one of the best planet hunting missions in operations is NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (a.k.a. TESS). Although NASA’s TESS is an amazing instrument, it still needs help in confirming and gathering additional data on the exoplanets it is attempting to observe. This is where YOU come in!
Exoplanet searches usually require elaborate setups, lots of study, maybe a fancy degree, and a sky mostly free of light pollution. With new technologies, such as with the new Unistellar eVscope and the citizen science network we are developing in coordination with the SETI Institute that is no longer the case!
Check out the article, Unistellar Consumer Telescope Will Help Astronomers Probe Exoplanets.
The Unistellar eVscope has already proven its capabilities to observe the transit of an exoplanet (see image 1 below).
Image 1: Transit light curve of WASP-43b. Observed with one Unistellar eVscope in March 2019 by Emmanuel Arbouch.
However, now we want to experiment with the possibilities of many eVscope users observing the same exoplanet and at the same time! Additionally, what will combining the data from many eVscopes do in helping us to learn more about these distant worlds? Can you and your eVscope help NASA TESS and other exoplanet scientists better understand these distant worlds? Ready to find out? I am! If you are too, then please read on for directions and details.
GROUP A = Targets best viewed from western United States (eastern US is also possible)
GROUP B = Targets best viewed from France or central Europe
GROUP C = Targets best viewed near Tokyo, Japan
Date of observation:
Friday, March 6, 2020
Observation Time:
8:13 pm – 11:10 pm, Pacific Standard Time
*Hey, guess what? You don’t even have to be with your eVscope this entire time! I’ve done observations this long and after setting up went inside to catch up on my favorite show or enjoyed some reading.
IMPORTANT: PLEASE CHECK THE WEATHER so if you leave your eVscope out it is not damaged by rain/snow!!!
Target:
TOI 507.01
Additional details: V=13.7, Depth (ppt) = 68.22.
We hope to detect a new TESS planet!
(FYI, TOI means “target of interest”)
Celestial Coordinates:
Right Ascension (RA) –> 08:06:31.1
Declination (Dec) –> -15:45:52.88
*Don’t forget the “-” sign for your Dec.
Date of observation:
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Observation Time:
21:36 – 02:33, Central European Standard Time (CET)
*Hey, guess what? You don’t even have to be with your eVscope this entire time! I’ve done observations this long and after setting up went inside to catch up on my favorite show or enjoyed some reading.
IMPORTANT: PLEASE CHECK THE WEATHER so if you leave your eVscope out it is not damaged by rain/snow!!!
Target:
TOI 1720.01
Additional details: V=10.9, Depth (ppt) = 13.16.
We hope to detect a new TESS planet!
(FYI, TOI means “target of interest”)
Celestial Coordinates:
Right Ascension (RA) –> 07:48:06.42
Declination (Dec) –> 50:13:30.53
Date of observation:
Sunday, March 8, 2020
Observation Time:
00:32 -05:07, Japan Standard Time (JST)
*Hey, guess what? You don’t even have to be with your eVscope this entire time! I’ve done observations this long and after setting up went inside to catch up on my favorite show or enjoyed some reading.
IMPORTANT: PLEASE CHECK THE WEATHER so if you leave your eVscope out it is not damaged by rain/snow!!!
Target:
TOI 1259.01
Additional details: V=11.7, Depth (ppt) = 26.68
We hope to detect a new TESS planet!
(FYI, TOI means “target of interest”)
Celestial Coordinates:
Right Ascension (RA) –> 18:48:24.04
Declination (Dec) –> 79:15:23.31
This is our new science goal for my PhD to use Unistellar eVscopes to find Baby Yoda! Lucasfilm/Walt Disney Pictures via Disney+