lto kepler mission_metlay_20june14
DESCRIPTION
Kepler Space Telescope Mission Update_20 June 2014_Little Thompson Observatory_Berthoud COTRANSCRIPT
Kepler Space Telescope: New Mission and New Worlds
Suzanne Metlay, Ph.D.
Western Governors University
Little Thompson Observatory
20 June 2014
Initial Mission: Kepler Field of View
Initial Mission: Highlights
Slightly larger orbit than Earth’s = Longer orbital period (372 days) = Kepler telescope falls behind Earth over time
Colorado creation: Built by Ball Aerospace Launched by United Launch Alliance (2009) Operated by LASPPhotometer = Sole instrument = Largest camera Look OUTSIDE ecliptic plane Seasonal scheduleExoplanet discoveries began immediately “Hot Jupiters” first Smaller objects around cooler stars laterReaction wheel failures end mission (2013) Pointing capability permanently damaged
K2 Mission ProposalK2 mission = Look WITHIN ecliptic plane
Look beyond Milky Way Galaxy
Look at stars as well as exoplanets
Identify targets for other telescopes and spectroscopes
K2 approved and running: May 2014
Exoplanet Detection Techniques Wobble Radial velocity (Doppler Effect) Lightcurves = Direct transit Validation by multiplicity
o Multiple lightcurves imply multiple exoplanets
Direct Observation
Doppler Effect
Wobble
Lightcurve
LightcurvesAt least 3 transit observations required to confirm discovery Planets do not emit light; only stars do
Binary eclipses = 1 star blocks the light of another star
PlanetHunters.org
Y-axis = Star Luminosity Star variability
X-axis = ExoplanetOrbital Period Depth = Exoplanet diameter Frequency = Distance from star Sunspots will not dim star regularly Watch out for eclipsing binaries!
Gaps = times when Kepler telescope was turned off or pointed away
Habitability
Habitable Zones
New Type of Exoplanet DiscoveredRocky planets (or dwarf planets) = Terrestrial = Earth-like structure Metal core, rocky mantle, rocky crust, gas atmosphere Dwarf planet Ceres = 0.00015 Earth mass (rocky core, water/ice mantle, rock crust, thin atm)
Gas Dwarf planets = 1.7 to 3.9 times the mass of Earth Rocky core (small), rock/ice mantle, thick gas atmosphere 600 exoplanet candidates
Gas Giant planets = Jovian = Jupiter-like structure Rocky core (size of Earth), liquid/ice mantle, thick gas atmosphere Uranus = 14.5 Earth mass
SETILIVE.org
M Dwarf stars
Kepler 186f
Habitable zone = Liquid water can exist on surface No evidence there is any liquid water No data about atmosphere No way (yet) to determine actual surface conditions
Reference ListAmos, J. (2014). “Kepler telescope bags huge haul of planets” retrieved from Science and Environment, BBC News website at http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26362433
“Digital press kit – Kepler-186f: The First Earth-size Habitable Zone Planet of Another Star” (2014). Retrieved from NASA website at www.nasa.gov/ames/kepler/digital-press-kit-kepler-186f-an-earth-size-habitable-zone-planet
Fischer, D. (2010). “Eclipsing Binaries” retrieved from Zooniverse project blog, PlanetHunters website at http://blog.planethunters.org/2010/12/21/eclipsing-binaries/?lang=en
Fischer, D. (2010). “Variable Stars (Examples)” retrieved from Zooniverse project blog, PlanetHunters website athttp://blog.planethunters.org/2010/12/28/variable-stars-examples/?lang=en
Greenbaum, A. (2011). “How to Build a Successful Science Comic”. Retrieved from Science for Dessert website at http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/sciencefordessert/2011/01/17/guest-entry-how-to-build-a-comic
Harvard-Smithonian Center for Astrophysics (2014). “Neapolitan Exoplanets Come in Three Flavors”. Retrieved from Astronomy Magazine website at http://www.astronomy.com/news/2014/06/neapolitan-exoplanets-come-in-three-flavors
“K2: Extending Kepler’s Power to the Ecliptic” (2014). Retrieved from NASA website at http://keplerscience.arc.nasa.gov/K2/
“Kepler’s Five New Worlds” (2010). Retrieved from Latest News, EnjoySpace website at http://www.enjoyspace.com/en/news/kepler-s-five-new-worlds
“Kepler Mission Manager Update: K2 has been Approved” (2014). Retrieved from NASA website at http://www.nasa.gov/content/ames/kepler-mission-manager-update-k2-has-been-approved/
Lintott, C. (2010). “Tutorial” retrieved from PlanetHunters website at http://www.planethunters.org/tutorial
Meadows, V. (2014). “Summary” slide retrieved from NASA press conference presentation at http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/Kepler186_FINAL-Apr2014.pdf
“Quick Facts: Kepler – More Info” (n.d.) Retrieved from Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado at Boulder website at http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/missions-projects/quick-facts-kepler/more-info/
Quintana, E. (2014). “Kepler 186f - First Earth-sized Planet Orbiting in Habitable Zone of Another Star” retrieved from SETI Institute website athttp://www.seti.org/seti-institute/kepler-186f-first-earth-sized-planet-orbiting-in-habitable-zone-of-another-star
Roell, T. (2010). “Astrometric Search for Exoplanets in Stellar Multiple Systems” retrieved from Astrophysical Institute and University Observatory Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena website at http://www.astro.uni-jena.de/Users/troell/astrometry.htm
SETILIVE (n.d.) Homepage screenshot retrieved from SETILIVE.org website at http://setilive.org/
Stenzel, W. & NASA Ames (2014). “Kepler’s Second Light: How K2 Will Work” retrieved from NASA website at www.nasa.gov/kepler/keplers-second-light-how-k2-will-work