Brief description:

In this activity, students will characterise mysterious exoplanets by analysing data acquired by ESA’s Cheops satellite. Students will work as real scientists and fit a model to the data to retrieve the best fit parameters.

The activity can be completed using a guided format or in a project-based learning format, for example in a hackathon. The Educator Guide presents both options. The activities are complemented with video explanations prepared by exoplanet experts:

• Introduction – How to study exoplanets
• 1 – Access the exoplanet data
• 2 – Size of an exoplanet
• 3 – Orbital period and distance
• 4 – Habitability of exoplanets
• 5 – Exoplanet composition

Learning Objectives:

• Work scientifically with real satellite data.
• Apply mathematical data analysis techniques by fitting a model to real data.
• Learn about Kepler’s Third Law and orbital mechanics.
• Understand what an exoplanet transit is.