Found any new planets lately?

www.planethunters.org...



www.planethunters.org...

While researching another thread I found this which was very interesting. I thought people on ATS might be interested in finding planets. Think it is an interesting past time and would be pretty cool to help find a planet. Incredible to think it is so easy (well compared to breaking codes and rocks) and the means are right at our fingertips.

Planet Hunters will also enlist the aid of non-scientists — this time in sorting through data from NASA's Kepler mission, which has searched for planets orbiting other stars (called exoplanets) since its launch in March 2009. The orbiting telescope has collected tons of data as it has specifically looked for stars with periodic dimming, potentially caused by a planet crossing in front of it. There's too much information for any one scientist to analyze, and computer programs are helpful but still not foolproof. That's where Planet Hunters comes in; users log on to the site and answer simple questions about a target star's brightness over time. If the star seems to have a pattern of repetitive dimming, it’s flagged as the possible home of an exoplanet.

So whether you're getting tired of the cold air hampering your observing or you just enjoy the thought of “discovering” exoplanets for yourself, give Planet Hunters a shot and see what you think. It might just prove a nice relaxing respite from these busy times.

cs.astronomy.com...