Difference between revisions of "NanoKepler -- Hunting for Planets with Kepler"
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==Tools== | ==Tools== | ||
| + | [[Accessing Kepler and CoRoT data | NStED database]] and [[What is a periodogram? | periodogram tools]]. You will need to look at the light curves, phased and unphased, and look at the results of the periodogram analysis. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Questions to consider== | ||
| + | *Are there planet transits in the dataset? What can you say about | ||
| + | them? What can you say about the planets? | ||
| + | *What other kind of variable stars are there? What are they? | ||
| + | *Are there signals that look like planet transits, but are not (false positives)? | ||
| + | What could cause them? | ||
| + | *What kind of statistical properties (e.g., chi‐squared, RMS, etc) are typical for the different kinds of variable stars (i.e., how would you search for a certain kind of variable in a large dataset)? | ||
| + | *What are statistical properties of the dataset (e.g., RMS as a function of brightness, how many variable stars, how many planet transits, how many non‐variable stars, etc)? | ||
| + | *Are there periodic signals present in all light curves (“red noise”)? What could typical sources of red noise be in space‐based data such as these? | ||
| + | *Which algorithm or method is preferable for which goal (e.g., for period‐phasing or for transit finding)? | ||
| + | *Isn’t NStED the coolest thing ever? | ||
Revision as of 04:55, 12 August 2010
Based on materials originally developed by Kaspar von Braun (NStED/IPAC) for the 2010 Sagan Exoplanet Workshop. This group project was entitled "Hunting for Planets with Kepler."
Introduction
The basic scenario here is that we have a very small Kepler mission analog -- a "nanoKepler", if you will. You have photometric light curves of 50-100 Kepler targets.
Goals
Find and characterize the transiting exoplanets within them. Are there any 'false positives'? (hint: yes) What are they, or could they be? What other kinds of variable sources can you find and identify? What can you say about the variability characteristics of the dataset as a whole?
Tools
NStED database and periodogram tools. You will need to look at the light curves, phased and unphased, and look at the results of the periodogram analysis.
Questions to consider
- Are there planet transits in the dataset? What can you say about
them? What can you say about the planets?
- What other kind of variable stars are there? What are they?
- Are there signals that look like planet transits, but are not (false positives)?
What could cause them?
- What kind of statistical properties (e.g., chi‐squared, RMS, etc) are typical for the different kinds of variable stars (i.e., how would you search for a certain kind of variable in a large dataset)?
- What are statistical properties of the dataset (e.g., RMS as a function of brightness, how many variable stars, how many planet transits, how many non‐variable stars, etc)?
- Are there periodic signals present in all light curves (“red noise”)? What could typical sources of red noise be in space‐based data such as these?
- Which algorithm or method is preferable for which goal (e.g., for period‐phasing or for transit finding)?
- Isn’t NStED the coolest thing ever?
