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.
Fizitec
“Traian Lalescu” Theoretical Highschool Hunedoara – Hunedoara Romania 15 years old, 16 years old 3 / 1
TOI-560c
TOI-560c project description:
The team that worked on this project is part of our school’s science and technology club named Fizitec, and is composed of three STEM enthusiasts, who embraced this challenge with open arms!
We are fond of astronomy and space exploration, so we were inspired to work on this project by the wonders of the cosmos, and by the possibility of discovering by ourselves the mysteries behind two exoplanets. During the hackathon, we were able to measure and deduce properties of TOI–560c and KELT-3b, orbiting planets of stars TOI-560 and KELT-3.
With the resources ESA provided and the instructions given at a webinar organized by the Romanian Science Festival, and using the values that were put at our disposal after adjusting the transit light curve of TOI-560c, we were able to calculate its size, orbital period, and distance, temperature and habitability, along with its composition.
We were particularly interested to learn if the planet we are analyzing is habitable, as humans are now actively searching for planets that could host us sometime in the future. And, knowing the temperature, orbital period, and distance from the star of TOI-560c, we were able to deduce if it’s habitable.
Water, a suitable atmosphere, and a source of energy are necessary for a planet to be able to host life as we know it. The provided information, along with the provided one, allowed us to make a clear statement about the exoplanet’s potential.
TOI-560c Results and Analysis
To be able to finish the challenge of analyzing planet TOI-560c, we used a range of different tools.
Using Allesfitter, one of the tools astronomers use in order to analyze exoplanets, we were able to find some insight about the exoplanet and the star it’s orbiting. After setting the values for the first clues of the investigation, we received other valuable clues.
We estimated the transit depth as being 0.11%.
Then, we calculated the planet’s radius in Sun radii units using the following formula and converted it to Earth radii units.
The next step was calculating the distance between the planet and the star, using Kepler’s Third Law.
From our calculations, we can deduce the fact that TOI-560c is extremely close to its star, TOI-560. From its file, we know that its temperature is 327° C (the temperature at which lead melts). With all that in mind, we believe that TOI-560c is not habitable, as most organic molecules like amino acids wouldn’t survive at such a high temperature because they would undergo thermal decomposition.
With the information from its file, we could calculate the planet’s mass, volume, and density.
TOI-560c Conclusions
During this challenge, we were able to explore new horizons and get an insight into how specialists discover and analyze planets that are far away from us. After practicing on KELT-3b, we were able to calculate the distance from the star, radius, density, and mass of TOI-560c.
In the end, we came to the conclusion that this planet is unfortunately not habitable, however, the search definitely won’t stop here!
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