Project Gallery 2023
Secondary students from across Europe became exoplanet detectives with ESA and used Cheops satellite data to uncover the mysteries of two exoplanet targets: KELT-3b and TOI-560c.
Explore the projects below.
Candáti
Junák – český skaut, středisko Povodeň Benátky nad Jizerou, z. s. Benátky nad Jizerou – středočeský kraj Czech Republic 14 years old, 15 years old, 17 years old 3 / 0
TOI-560c
TOI-560c project description:
Abstract:
We have always been absolutely fascinated by observing the night sky, pondering the mysteries of the universe and our existence within it. One burning question that has intrigued us is whether we are truly alone, and if there are Earth-like planets scattered across the cosmos. How does one go about discovering such distant worlds?
At the recent Hackathon in Prague, we were finally granted the opportunity to not only seek answers but also put our skills to the test. This extraordinary journey of exploration and discovery has left us astounded and perplexed, providing us with valuable insights into our inquiries. We are thrilled to have participated in this exhilarating hackathon and are delighted to share the outcomes of our project with you.
TOI-560c Results and Analysis
Analysis and results:
From the beginning, our main goal was to fulfill all the basic steps, but after fulfilling them, we couldn’t stop and continued our own research and calculations.
First, we processed the data in Allesfitter using the transit method, and its simplicity, but at the same time its complexity, really surprised us! We got the light curve, the radius of the planet and the star (2.379Rp, 0.648Rs), the transit time and the orbital period.
In the second step, we used the transit depth and the radius of the star to verify the size of the planet and came up with 2.458Rp.
The next step was to calculate the orbital period of the planet and its distance from the star, which is 0.124940963 au.
Another was the temperature and habitability of the planet, given its temperature of 225°C, we do not believe that these are sufficiently suitable conditions for life.
The density of the planet was around 3.1 g/cm^3, which we found from the mass and volume of the planet.
We were intrigued by its density and therefore decided to investigate the possible composition of both the planet and its atmosphere. Finally, we decided to explore the possibility of its composition from: iron, rubidium and neon. After calculations, we decided to put their content in a ratio of 1:1:1, as this was in accordance with the calculated density. A planet containing rubidium would be uninhabitable and therefore, according to our hypothesis, life on it is almost impossible. We believe that spectography could help us prove it.
TOI-560c Conclusions
Conclusion:
From the beginning, we wondered if life would be possible on the exoplanet TOI-560c, and given our hypothesis that the planet contains toxic rubidium, we consider this highly unlikely. However, we have found that the temperature on the planet is ideal for baking a chicken. The ideal would be to isolate the chicken from the surrounding environment, and bake it for 30 minutes on the surface of the planet, and then bring it to the edge of the atmosphere and bake it for another 30 minutes.
In conclusion, we would definitely not recommend that anyone consume a chicken baked in this way, but it would be an interesting experiment that would definitely be worth trying.
We would also like to say that if the star was brighter, the spectrographic method would be very helpful to determine more accurately the composition of the planet’s atmosphere, and also to find out how strong the radiation is on the planet.
We are completely satisfied with the result of our research and consider it an absolute success. We think that our innate scouting curiosity has helped us, and even though we don’t have the best job, we’re glad to have come this far.
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