detecting exoplanets

Is there life on other planets?:

detecting exoplanets

Proyecto STEAM I.E.S. San Antonio

INITIAL DISCUsSION

Do you think there is life on other planets?

How many planets are there in our galaxy?

How many of them are potentially habitable?

How can we find them?

A planet orbiting its star.

• The Milky Way is estimated to contain hundreds of billions of stars. Observations indicate that there may be more stars with planets than without them. Also, there are many stars with planet systems, so there are probably many billions in our galaxy.

• In 2013, data from NASA's Kepler spacecraft gave an estimation that there are 40 billion planets in habitable zones.

• To find planets out of our Solar System is not an easy task because we cannot see them. Actually, the first one was found in the 90s.

So, how can we find something that we can't see?

DETECTING EXOPLANETS WITH THE TRANSIT METHOD

When that happens, the brightness decreases, as it is shown in this graph using "Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite"

MATERIAL

- A box- A LED flashlight - A movile phone with the app "Physics Toolbox" - Scissors - Toothpicks - Papers - Sellotape - Modelling clay - Black tempera - A brush

LET'S START PAINTING THE BOX!

ThanKs for your attention