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Hack an Exoplanet is an inquiry-based astronomy project on planets outside the Solar System. By completing this activity, teams of secondary students will get the opportunity to analyse real satellite data collected by Cheops and hack these mysterious alien worlds. This activity is suggested for teams of students aged 14 to 19 years old.
ESA’s Cheops (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite) is a satellite that studies known exoplanets in-depth. Its mission is to observe known exoplanets and characterise them by looking at the dip of stellar light caused by the planets’ transit of their host stars.
Cheops has observed multiple exoplanets, KELT-3b and TOI-560c in January 2023 and more recently it observed exoplanet system K2-141b and K2-141c. KELT-3b was observed 22 January 23:20 CET and TOI-560c was observed 23 January 13:12 CET. K2-141 was observed in September 2023.
The data collected by Cheops is available for educational purposes through the Hack an Exoplanet activities.
Cheops has observed and collected data on the exoplanets below. We need the students’ help to investigate and profile these mysterious exoplanets with real satellite data collected by Cheops.
Hot Jupiter
Recommended to start with this target!
Mini Neptune
Super Earth and Neptune-like Ice Giant (exoplanet system)
The Hack an Exoplanet platform provides a variety of activities for educators to engage students in STEM subjects using the fascinating topic of exoplanets as the learning context. There are three sets of activities that you can take part in.
Set of two quizzes to introduce the most important concepts and test your exoplanet pre-knowledge
Duration: < 30 minutes
We need your help to profile mysterious exoplanets using real satellite data. Follow the step-by-step guide and complete the casefiles
In this set of three classroom activities you learn more about transit models and how to build your own
Additional materials, such as videos and interesting links, are available under the Resources page.
Contact your national contact point for more information about activities being organized in your country. A list of national contact points is provided in the Support in your country page.
If you have any questions you can visit the Frequently Asked Questions page or contact us via email: hackanexoplanet@esa.int.
During this virtual hackathon our team of experts will guide you in discovering how to analyse the Cheops data to uncover the size, orbital period and distance, habitability, and composition of these two distant worlds. Follow along to uncover the properties of the exoplanets and become a real exoplanet detective.
You can present Challenge 1, the analysis of KELT-3b, directly to your students with this virtual event.
Watch the replay and follow along with your students: ESA Virtual Event.
