Planet Hunters TESS: people-powered exoplanet discoveries in TESS data
Speaker: Nora Eisner
Affiliation: University of Oxford, United Kingdom
Abstract
Since the first unambiguous discovery of an exoplanet in 1995, over 4,000 more have been confirmed, and studies of their characteristics have unveiled an extremely wide range of planetary properties in terms of their mass, size, system architecture and orbital periods. While dedicated planet detection algorithms are able to identify the vast majority of planets in space based photometric surveys, they miss certain types of planets that are key to our understanding of how these systems form and evolve. I will discuss how we can harness the power of citizen science, and in particular Planet Hunters TESS (PHT), to find these more elusive planets with the help of tens of thousands of volunteers. I will present the findings from the first two and a half years of the PHT, including both planets and stellar systems, and show that human classification can play an important role in a world that is becoming increasingly automated.
About Physics Seminars
The weekly Physics Seminar series focuses on a broad range of physics research within SMP, along with frequent presentations from visiting researchers. Seminars are usually scheduled for 1.00pm on Tuesdays.
The talks are typically more specialised than a colloquium but are often attended by staff and PhD students across a broad range of areas. Speakers are thus encouraged to include introductory material in the talks.
All SMP researchers and HDR students are encouraged to speak. Please email Lewis Williamson to register your interest.
The seminars are open so there is no need to register your attendance.