Exoplanets in Motion – Building your own exoplanetary system

In this set of activities, students will learn how scientists study exoplanets with satellites like Cheops (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite), using the transit method. Students will build their own model exoplanetary system, then observe and interpret model light curves. Assembly instructions for three different transit models are provided: turntable (simple), rover (intermediate) and 3D printed (advanced). This activity is part of a series that includes “Exoplanets Detective” where students analyse real data from ESA’s Cheops satellite and “Exoplanet in a box” where students build a transit model inside a shoebox and calculate the size of an exoplanet.

Languages: English, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, German and Swedish.

Subject: Science, Physics, Mathematics, Astronomy

Age: 10-18 years old 

Time: 60 min

Learning objectives: 

• Understanding what exoplanets are and how satellites investigate them.
• Understanding how the transit method is used for the detection and characterisation of exoplanets.
• Enhancing experimental skills by observing and interpreting measured light curves.
• Developing team working skills through collaborative problem solving.
• Communicating scientific and mathematical findings to peers.

Find out more on the Hack an Exoplanet website.