Kepler Mission |
Kepler Mission |
Jun 3 2009, 11:11 PM
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#181
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Member Group: Members Posts: 813 Joined: 29-December 05 From: NE Oh, USA Member No.: 627 |
Spitzer warm mission will contribute to verifying and analyzing Kepler planet candidates...
From AAS abstracts session 210: http://aas.org/meetings/aas214/schedule_scientific.php Confirmation and Characterization of Kepler Mission Exoplanets: The Era of Rock and Ice Exoplanets Topic: None selected Heather Knutson1, D. Charbonneau1 1Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Presentation Number: 210.03 Facility Keyword: Spitzer In the past 4 years, the combination of ground-based transit surveys and the remarkable stability of the Spitzer Space Telescope permitted the direct investigation of the atmospheres of one specific class of exoplanet, namely the Hot Jupiters. The NASA Kepler mission (scheduled for launch early this year) will have the ability to discover dozens of transiting exoplanets that are not currently detectable from the ground, including large numbers of transiting hot Neptune and hot Super-Earth exoplanets, as well as cooler Jupiters. Our Exploration Science program will measure the two-color planetary emission for 20 representative members of these previously inaccessible exoplanets, providing the first opportunity to directly test theoretical models of exoplanetary atmospheres of varying compositions (notably Super-Earths and Neptunes) and under differing levels of irradiation (cooler Jovian companions). The same data will permit an estimate of the orbital eccentricities, thus providing a test of models of the orbital migration and tidal dissipation for these various types of exoplanets. We will also use Spitzer to follow up Kepler-identified candidate terrestrial exoplanets to prove that these signals are indeed planetary in origin. By gathering single color time series spanning times of primary transit, we will exclude a significant source of astrophysical false positives (resulting from blends of triple star systems containing an eclipsing binary) that can precisely mimic an exoplanetary signature in the Kepler data. These infrared data will provide a crucial confirmation of the planetary nature of the most exciting terrestrial-planet candidates. Craig |
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Jun 4 2009, 04:14 PM
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#182
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Member Group: Members Posts: 540 Joined: 17-November 05 From: Oklahoma Member No.: 557 |
Here are a couple of web pages on the topic of exomoon detection:
Centauri Dreams Royal Astronomical Society Also, there is an interesting full length article on the topic in the July issue of Sky and Telescope, which is out now. ... I bet before three years they will say, "yes we have X number of dimming's that might be Earth like". I'm sure you're right. The very first download, due in just a few days, stands a good chance of having a small planet detection somewhere in the data. A long time before they sort out false detections, eclipsing binary backgrounds, and establish orbital periods, they should have a real good statistical idea of just how many earth class detections they are going to end up with. |
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Jun 9 2009, 06:48 AM
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#183
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Special Cookie Group: Members Posts: 2168 Joined: 6-April 05 From: Sintra | Portugal Member No.: 228 |
Infighters often reign.
-------------------- "Ride, boldly ride," The shade replied, "If you seek for Eldorado!"
Edgar Alan Poe |
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Jun 9 2009, 08:05 AM
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#184
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3648 Joined: 1-October 05 From: Croatia Member No.: 523 |
Infighters often reign. Yeah, I'm not getting any of that. You tease. -------------------- |
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Jun 9 2009, 11:04 AM
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#185
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Rover Driver Group: Members Posts: 1015 Joined: 4-March 04 Member No.: 47 |
I hate anagrams. I'll just wait till the official announcement.
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Jun 9 2009, 11:08 AM
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#186
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3516 Joined: 4-November 05 From: North Wales Member No.: 542 |
Enter, offering insight (please!).
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Jun 9 2009, 10:12 PM
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#187
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Member Group: Members Posts: 540 Joined: 17-November 05 From: Oklahoma Member No.: 557 |
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Jun 9 2009, 10:16 PM
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#188
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The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
Anagrams they are. Ok, now you're scaring me; you really sounded like Yoda there... -------------------- |
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Jun 10 2009, 05:54 PM
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#189
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1018 Joined: 29-November 05 From: Seattle, WA, USA Member No.: 590 |
Is anyone else ready for an anagram moratorium? Or at least a separate anagram thread? I get excited to see a new post under Kepler, then annoyed that it's just another anagram.
--Greg |
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Jun 10 2009, 06:32 PM
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#190
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14431 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
I'm with you Greg.
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Jun 10 2009, 07:19 PM
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#191
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1414 Joined: 26-July 08 Member No.: 4270 |
Same here. I've begun to realise that if you don't have anything to report, don't tease us.
Got angered at CoRoT for teasing everyone with "hints of a 1.7 Earth-radius transiting planet" for a couple years before CoRoT-7b was announced. Anagrams, cryptic information, (and sometimes, as with CoRoT-2 b, press releases) just serve to raise public hopes beyond that which can be satisfied by what the piece of news actually is. This will backfire some, causing some animosity toward the mission. Anyone remember that? CoRoT-2 b's announcement? "Oh you guys are going to love this, wait for it... wait for it... wait for it.... history will be made... OH MY GOSH!!! We found a HOT JUPIER!! OMG! Can you believe that?" NASA's announcement of the SWEEPS planets back in October of 2006 was almost as bad. My point is that if you sit on data, make sure it's all good, and then release it out of nowhere, everyone's surprised, and pleasantly excited, and we all love the mission that much more. It's a lot better than a CoRoT-2 style let-down. Edit: Besides, if the data is scheduled for a Jun 18 download, what on Earth (har har) is there to make an anagram about anyway? -------------------- -- Hungry4info (Sirius_Alpha)
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Jun 10 2009, 07:50 PM
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#192
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1578 Joined: 14-October 05 From: Vermont Member No.: 530 |
My point is that if you sit on data, make sure it's all good, and then release it out of nowhere, everyone's surprised, and pleasantly excited, and we all love the mission that much more. It's a lot better than a CoRoT-2 style let-down. Are there worries about not being credited with discovery in these games? Does the Haumea tempest have people pre-releasing these discoveries in encrypted form? |
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Jun 10 2009, 08:06 PM
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#193
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Member Group: Members Posts: 540 Joined: 17-November 05 From: Oklahoma Member No.: 557 |
... if the data is scheduled for a Jun 18 download, what ... is there to make an anagram about anyway? Ten days worth of calibration data, which could easily have picked up an exoearth or two if they are as common as has been assumed. For those looking for substance, there is a new (well, two days old) Project Managers Update out. Edit: I'd better mention that it would be impossible to confirm said planets if they were in anything remotely resembling a habitable zone. Merely that their transits would be present. Also, I believe that if it's something you're not suppose to come right out and say, whatever it is, then best not to mention it at all. |
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Jun 10 2009, 08:53 PM
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#194
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Member Group: Members Posts: 131 Joined: 31-May 08 From: San Carlos, California, USA Member No.: 4168 |
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Jun 11 2009, 07:25 AM
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#195
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Rover Driver Group: Members Posts: 1015 Joined: 4-March 04 Member No.: 47 |
Ten days worth of calibration data, which could easily have picked up an exoearth or two if they are as common as has been assumed. Unless it's a starspot of course. It's hard to tell anything from just one transit. You need the follow-up observations. And if you have multiple transits in just 10 days then I think it's save to say it's not in the 'habitable zone'. |
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