Observing the Transit of Nearby Exoplanet Qatar-2b Using CCD Photometry via Robotic Telescopes
- WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Aaron Speyer (Creator)
- Institution
- Western Carolina University (WCU )
- Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
Abstract: The first discovery of exoplanets orbiting pulsar PSR B1257+12 occurred in 1992. Since then, there has been an increased effort to identify the transits of exoplanets around distant stars. Astronomers at the University of Arizona in 2014 were the first to make images of an exoplanet using Charge Coupled Device (CCD) photon detectors, which are “sensitive enough to detect a 2-3% drop in the amount of light” (Dussault, M. et al.), rather than traditional eyepieces. Robotic telescopes from the Harvard MicroObservatory Telescope Network focus collected light onto CCD detectors to image “planets in visible light, which has not been possible previously with Earth based telescopes” (NASA Exoplanet Exploration). Astronomers’ ability to use CCD photometry to view exoplanets in visible light rather than infrared light brings us one step closer to one day discovering what scientists refer to as a “pale blue dot,” or a distant Earth like exoplanet that reflects blue light, indicating an atmosphere that may indicate a habitable planet.
Observing the Transit of Nearby Exoplanet Qatar-2b Using CCD Photometry via Robotic Telescopes
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Created on 3/1/2021
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Other
- Language: English
- Date: 2021