11-09-2017, 06:29 PM
For those interested:
"Observatory director to talk about exoplanet system"
UKIRT has been observing the TRAPPIST-1 system for a while now. It's a solar system with seven planets with three in the "habitable zone" meaning they might support life. The planets are aligned in such a way they transit the star as well as transiting themselves which is has made things very interesting but also quite difficult to decipher.
Bob McLaren will be giving a talk at Imiloa.
http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/news/com...net-system
"A total of seven planets have been discovered around TRAPPIST-1 by using the transit technique, in which astronomers carefully measure the small dimming that occurs when one or more of the planets crosses in front of the star. With its sensitive infrared camera called the Wide Field Cam, UKIRT is able to measure the transit dimming with a photometric accuracy of 500 parts per million and a timing accuracy of 20 seconds.
McLaren will describe how UKIRT’s observations have played a major role in establishing the multiplanet nature of the TRAPPIST-1 system. He also will explain how these same observations revealed that all seven planets have masses close to that of Earth."
"Observatory director to talk about exoplanet system"
UKIRT has been observing the TRAPPIST-1 system for a while now. It's a solar system with seven planets with three in the "habitable zone" meaning they might support life. The planets are aligned in such a way they transit the star as well as transiting themselves which is has made things very interesting but also quite difficult to decipher.
Bob McLaren will be giving a talk at Imiloa.
http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/news/com...net-system
"A total of seven planets have been discovered around TRAPPIST-1 by using the transit technique, in which astronomers carefully measure the small dimming that occurs when one or more of the planets crosses in front of the star. With its sensitive infrared camera called the Wide Field Cam, UKIRT is able to measure the transit dimming with a photometric accuracy of 500 parts per million and a timing accuracy of 20 seconds.
McLaren will describe how UKIRT’s observations have played a major role in establishing the multiplanet nature of the TRAPPIST-1 system. He also will explain how these same observations revealed that all seven planets have masses close to that of Earth."