Studying Variable Stars
Contents
- 1 Calendar Scavenger Hunt
- 2 Interacting Binary Star System Activity
- 3 Simulation of an Eclipse of WZ Sge Activity
- 4 How do you find variables?
- 5 Accessing Kepler and CoRoT data
- 6 What is a periodogram?
- 7 Movie tutorials for Kepler data
- 8 Measuring eclipsing binaries in the Kepler data set
- 9 NanoKepler -- Hunting for Planets with Kepler
- 10 Hunting for Planets with CoRoT
- 11 Classifying variables in the Kepler data set
- 12 Other Resources
Calendar Scavenger Hunt
Developed by Beth Thomas. Here is a worksheet for exploring various ways of measuring time: worksheet (pdf) and answer key (pdf)
Interacting Binary Star System Activity
Developed by Beth Thomas. This completely self-contained activity was originally designed for a Spitzer Teacher project (from round 3). Download the pdf here.
Simulation of an Eclipse of WZ Sge Activity
Developed by Beth Thomas. This completely self-contained activity was originally designed for a Spitzer Teacher project (from round 3). Download the pdf here.
How do you find variables?
Based on materials developed by Peter Plavchan, NExScI/IPAC/Caltech
Accessing Kepler and CoRoT data
Kepler and CoRoT data are much more than just exoplanets, but of course they're in here too.
What is a periodogram?
Information on periodograms -- what they are, why you care about them, and how to use the NASA Exoplanet Archive's tool for determining them.
Movie tutorials for Kepler data
These were created by John Blackwell (Exeter) for one of the 2011 NITARP teams. Note that they were developed using an earlier version of the NASA Exoplanet Archive's interface, but should still be helpful.
- http://youtu.be/3r0ltH9Ixg0 -- searching the Kepler database, obtaining light curves, periodograms, and interpreting the periodograms. (~4 min)
- http://youtu.be/lzrtQSxwajg -- more on Kepler light curves and periodograms, and how to do more sophisticated investigation of the light curves using the NASA Exoplanet Archive's tools. (~8 min)
Measuring eclipsing binaries in the Kepler data set
Based on materials developed by Julian van Eyken, NExScI/IPAC/Caltech
NanoKepler -- Hunting for Planets with Kepler
Based on materials developed by Kaspar von Braun, NExScI/IPAC/Caltech
Hunting for Planets with CoRoT
Based on materials developed by Stephen Kane, NExScI/IPAC/Caltech
Classifying variables in the Kepler data set
Based on materials developed by Peter Plavchan, NExScI/IPAC/Caltech -- still under construction
Other Resources
- Searching for Exoplanets with LCOGT http://portal.lcogt.net/agentexoplanet/
- Other Worlds, Other Earths http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/smgphp/otherworlds/index.php
- Planet Hunters http://www.planethunters.org/
