Amateurs Discover New "Warm Jupiter" Using Backyard Telescopes

Amateur astronomers have successfully identified a new exoplanet known as a "warm Jupiter" using backyard telescopes. This discovery, made in collaboration with professional scientists and organizations like SETI, showcases the valuable role of citizen scientists in astronomy. The finding demonstrates how global amateur efforts can contribute to significant advancements in understanding planets beyond our Solar System.

Amateur astronomers have played a pivotal role in astronomy by confirming the existence of a new "warm Jupiter." By using backyard telescopes and partnering with the SETI Institute, these citizen scientists were essential in observing and analyzing the transit of this newly discovered exoplanet. Their results, published in the Astronomical Journal, highlight the importance of global collaboration in space research, including contributions from high school students as co-authors.

Amateur Astronomers on the Hunt
Watch out, exoplanets! Two NASA-supported teams of amateur astronomers are on the case with their backyard telescopes. These teams, known as UNITE (UNISTELLAR Network Investigating TESS Exoplanets) and Exoplanet Watch, have joined forces to validate the discovery of a new "warm Jupiter."

“I can’t believe I’ve made a real impact on astronomy by helping confirm and study a new exoplanet,” said Darren Rivett, an Australian volunteer involved in the project.

The Role of NASA’s TESS in Discovering Exoplanets
Exoplanets orbiting other stars can sometimes obscure the light from their host stars, a phenomenon known as a “transit.” Amateur astronomers can detect these transits by observing the dimming of starlight with their telescopes. NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) also captures these dimming events but requires multiple occurrences and additional checks to confirm a new exoplanet.

This is where the UNITE and Exoplanet Watch volunteers come into play.

Citizen Scientists Confirm New “Warm Jupiter”
The two amateur teams, in collaboration with the SETI Institute, have confirmed the existence of a planet, TIC 393818343 b (also known as TOI 6883 b), orbiting a star. The UNISTELLAR and SETI team initially detected a single transit signal from the TESS telescope and predicted when the planet would transit again. They then enlisted the UNITE and Exoplanet Watch amateurs to observe the host star during this predicted time. Their observations led to two additional transit detections, confirming the initial predictions and verifying the presence of the planet.

For questions or comments write to writers@bostonbrandmedia.com

Source: scitechdaily‍