The document discusses detailed numerical modeling of multi-planet systems discovered by the Kepler spacecraft. The author aims to model the effect of tides on the formation and evolution of Kepler multi-planet systems with two close planets in tight orbits. They will extract data from NASA's exoplanet archive to build numerical models incorporating the latest understanding of tidal dissipation. Comparing models to observations may help explain trends in planetary properties and the long-term stability of these systems.
Estamos nós aqui novamente, nos deparando com mais um erro de interpretação de um artigo científico que transforma uma descoberta feita por cientistas sérios em uma série infindável de posts, textos e tudo mais a respeito de uma estrutura alienígena construída ao redor da estrela KIC 8462852, que não faz sentido nenhum. O intuito desse post é mais uma vez esclarecer todos os pontos dessa descoberta, acompanhado dos artigos e de um vídeo no meu canal onde explico todos os detalhes a respeito de exoplanetas, exocometas, Kepler e a pesquisa séria realizada pelos voluntários do projeto de ciência cidadã, Planet Hunters. Boa leitura.
“Bizarro”. “Interessante”. “Trânsito Gigante”. Essas foram as reações dos voluntários do projeto Planet Hunters quando eles olharam pela primeira vez a curva de luz da estrela parecida com o Sol, outrora normal, KIC 8462852.
Das mais de 150000 estrelas, sob constante observação durante os 4 anos da missão primária do Kepler da NASA, entre 2009 e 2013, essa estrela se destacou devido às inexplicáveis quedas no brilho de sua luz. Enquanto que quase todo mundo aposta em causas naturais para essa queda estranha no brilho da estrela, alguns sugeriram outras possibilidades.
Você lembrará que o observatório orbital Kepler, continuamente monitorou estrelas num campo de visão fixo focado nas constelações de Lyra e Cygnus, na esperança de registrar quedas periódicas no brilho da luz das estrelas, quedas essas geradas por exoplanetas em trânsito. Se uma queda no brilho da luz for observado, mais trânsitos eram observados para confirmar a detecção de um novo exoplaneta.
The search for_extraterrestrial_civilizations_with_large_energy_suppliesSérgio Sacani
Estamos nós aqui novamente, nos deparando com mais um erro de interpretação de um artigo científico que transforma uma descoberta feita por cientistas sérios em uma série infindável de posts, textos e tudo mais a respeito de uma estrutura alienígena construída ao redor da estrela KIC 8462852, que não faz sentido nenhum. O intuito desse post é mais uma vez esclarecer todos os pontos dessa descoberta, acompanhado dos artigos e de um vídeo no meu canal onde explico todos os detalhes a respeito de exoplanetas, exocometas, Kepler e a pesquisa séria realizada pelos voluntários do projeto de ciência cidadã, Planet Hunters. Boa leitura.
“Bizarro”. “Interessante”. “Trânsito Gigante”. Essas foram as reações dos voluntários do projeto Planet Hunters quando eles olharam pela primeira vez a curva de luz da estrela parecida com o Sol, outrora normal, KIC 8462852.
Das mais de 150000 estrelas, sob constante observação durante os 4 anos da missão primária do Kepler da NASA, entre 2009 e 2013, essa estrela se destacou devido às inexplicáveis quedas no brilho de sua luz. Enquanto que quase todo mundo aposta em causas naturais para essa queda estranha no brilho da estrela, alguns sugeriram outras possibilidades.
Você lembrará que o observatório orbital Kepler, continuamente monitorou estrelas num campo de visão fixo focado nas constelações de Lyra e Cygnus, na esperança de registrar quedas periódicas no brilho da luz das estrelas, quedas essas geradas por exoplanetas em trânsito. Se uma queda no brilho da luz for observado, mais trânsitos eram observados para confirmar a detecção de um novo exoplaneta.
Estamos nós aqui novamente, nos deparando com mais um erro de interpretação de um artigo científico que transforma uma descoberta feita por cientistas sérios em uma série infindável de posts, textos e tudo mais a respeito de uma estrutura alienígena construída ao redor da estrela KIC 8462852, que não faz sentido nenhum. O intuito desse post é mais uma vez esclarecer todos os pontos dessa descoberta, acompanhado dos artigos e de um vídeo no meu canal onde explico todos os detalhes a respeito de exoplanetas, exocometas, Kepler e a pesquisa séria realizada pelos voluntários do projeto de ciência cidadã, Planet Hunters. Boa leitura.
“Bizarro”. “Interessante”. “Trânsito Gigante”. Essas foram as reações dos voluntários do projeto Planet Hunters quando eles olharam pela primeira vez a curva de luz da estrela parecida com o Sol, outrora normal, KIC 8462852.
Das mais de 150000 estrelas, sob constante observação durante os 4 anos da missão primária do Kepler da NASA, entre 2009 e 2013, essa estrela se destacou devido às inexplicáveis quedas no brilho de sua luz. Enquanto que quase todo mundo aposta em causas naturais para essa queda estranha no brilho da estrela, alguns sugeriram outras possibilidades.
Você lembrará que o observatório orbital Kepler, continuamente monitorou estrelas num campo de visão fixo focado nas constelações de Lyra e Cygnus, na esperança de registrar quedas periódicas no brilho da luz das estrelas, quedas essas geradas por exoplanetas em trânsito. Se uma queda no brilho da luz for observado, mais trânsitos eram observados para confirmar a detecção de um novo exoplaneta.
The search for_extraterrestrial_civilizations_with_large_energy_suppliesSérgio Sacani
Estamos nós aqui novamente, nos deparando com mais um erro de interpretação de um artigo científico que transforma uma descoberta feita por cientistas sérios em uma série infindável de posts, textos e tudo mais a respeito de uma estrutura alienígena construída ao redor da estrela KIC 8462852, que não faz sentido nenhum. O intuito desse post é mais uma vez esclarecer todos os pontos dessa descoberta, acompanhado dos artigos e de um vídeo no meu canal onde explico todos os detalhes a respeito de exoplanetas, exocometas, Kepler e a pesquisa séria realizada pelos voluntários do projeto de ciência cidadã, Planet Hunters. Boa leitura.
“Bizarro”. “Interessante”. “Trânsito Gigante”. Essas foram as reações dos voluntários do projeto Planet Hunters quando eles olharam pela primeira vez a curva de luz da estrela parecida com o Sol, outrora normal, KIC 8462852.
Das mais de 150000 estrelas, sob constante observação durante os 4 anos da missão primária do Kepler da NASA, entre 2009 e 2013, essa estrela se destacou devido às inexplicáveis quedas no brilho de sua luz. Enquanto que quase todo mundo aposta em causas naturais para essa queda estranha no brilho da estrela, alguns sugeriram outras possibilidades.
Você lembrará que o observatório orbital Kepler, continuamente monitorou estrelas num campo de visão fixo focado nas constelações de Lyra e Cygnus, na esperança de registrar quedas periódicas no brilho da luz das estrelas, quedas essas geradas por exoplanetas em trânsito. Se uma queda no brilho da luz for observado, mais trânsitos eram observados para confirmar a detecção de um novo exoplaneta.
Artigo que descreve a descoberta do exoplaneta Kepler-432b, um exoplaneta mais massivo que Júpiter que orbita uma estrela gigante vermelha bem próximo e numa órbita extremamente alongada.
The neowise discovered_comet_population_and_the_co_co2_production_ratesSérgio Sacani
Após o seu lançamento em 2009, a sonda NEOWISE da NASA já observou 163 cometas durante a missão primária WISE/NEOWISE. Essa amostra do telescópio espacial representa a maior pesquisa infravermelha de cometas já feitas até o momento. Os dados dessa pesquisa estão dando uma nova ideia sobre a poeira, o tamanho dos núcleos do cometa, e a taxa de produção dos gases difíceis de serem observados como dióxido de carbono e monóxido de carbono. Os resultados do censo do NEOWISE dos cometas foram recentemente publicados no Astrophysical Journal.
O monóxido de carbono (CO) e o dióxido de carbono (CO2) são moléculas comuns encontradas no ambiente do início do Sistema Solar, e nos cometas. Na maior parte das circunstâncias, a sublimação do gelo de água provavelmente guia a atividade nos cometas quando eles chegam perto do Sol, mas em distâncias maiores e em temperaturas mais frias, outras moléculas como o CO e o CO2 podem ser os principais guias. O dióxido e o monóxido de carbono são moléculas difíceis de serem detectadas da terra, devido a abundância dessas moléculas na própria atmosfera terrestre que podem obscurecer o sinal. A sonda NEOWISE vaga além da atmosfera da Terra, fazendo essas medidas dos gases emitidos pelos cometas possíveis.
“Essa é a primeira vez que nós observamos essa grande evidência estatística do monóxido de carbono obtida enquanto o gás do cometa é emitido quando ele está mais distante do Sol”, disse James Bauer, vice-principal pesquisador da missão NEOWISE do Laboratório de Propulsão a Jato da NASA em Pasadena, na Califórnia, e autor do artigo. “Emitindo o que é provavelmente monóxido de carbono além de 4 Unidades Astronômicas, ou seja, 600 milhões de quilômetros, isso nos mostra que os cometas podem ter guardado a maior parte dos gases quando eles se formaram, e ficaram ali guardados por bilhões de anos. A maioria dos cometas que nós observamos ativos além das 4 Unidades Astronômicas, são cometas de períodos longos, cometas com períodos orbitais maiores que 200 anos que gastam a maior parte da sua vida além da órbita de Netuno”.
Stellar-like objects with effective temperatures of 2700K and below are referred to as
20 "ultracool dwarfs"1. This heterogeneous group includes both extremely low-mass stars
21 and brown dwarfs (substellar objects not massive enough to sustain hydrogen fusion),
22 and represents about 15% of the stellar-like objects in the vicinity of the Sun2. Based on
23 the small masses and sizes of their protoplanetary disks3,4, core-accretion theory for
24 ultracool dwarfs predicts a large, but heretofore undetected, population of close-in
25 terrestrial planets5, ranging from metal-rich Mercury-sized planets6 to more hospitable
26 volatile-rich Earth-sized planets7. Here we report the discovery of three short-period
27 Earth-sized planets transiting an ultracool dwarf star 12 parsecs away. The inner two
28 planets receive four and two times the irradiation of Earth, respectively, placing them
29 close to the inner edge of the habitable zone of the star8. Eleven orbits remain possible
30 for the third planet based on our data, the most likely resulting in an irradiation
31 significantly smaller than Earth's. The infrared brightness of the host star combined
32 with its Jupiter-like size offer the possibility of constraining the composition and
33 thoroughly characterizing the atmospheric properties of the components of this nearby
34 planetary system, notably to detect potential biosignatures.
Evidence for reflected_lightfrom_the_most_eccentric_exoplanet_knownSérgio Sacani
Planets in highly eccentric orbits form a class of objects not seen within our Solar System. The most extreme case known amongst these objects is the planet orbiting HD 20782, with an orbital period of 597 days and an eccentricity of 0.96. Here we present new data and analysis for this system as part of the Transit Ephemeris Refinement and Monitoring Survey (TERMS). We obtained CHIRON spectra to perform an independent estimation of the fundamental stellar parameters. New radial velocities from AAT and PARAS observations during periastron passage greatly improve our knowledge of the eccentric nature of the orbit. The combined analysis of our Keplerian orbital and Hipparcos astrometry show that the inclination of the planetary orbit is > 1.22◦, ruling out stellar masses for the companion. Our long-term robotic photometry show that the star is extremely stable over long timescales. Photometric monitoring of the star during predicted transit and periastron times using MOST rule out a transit of the planet and reveal evidence of phase variations during periastron. These possible photometric phase variations may be caused by reflected light from the planet’s atmosphere and the dramatic change in star–planet separation surrounding the periastron passage.
Possible Ripple in LIGO MIT NSF Announcement of Gravitational Wave "Ripples i...GLOBAL HEAVYLIFT HOLDINGS
Possible Ripple in LIGO MIT NSF Announcement of Gravitational Wave "Ripples in Einsteinian Space-Time" Detection Suggested by Astrophysicist Dr. Andrew W. Beckwith, Chongqing University Department of Physics, PRC
Chongqing, Peoples Republic of China 2/12/16 1238 EST, +5 GMT -The author has viewed extensively the LIGO paper in PRD and finds that it is a very good beginning. However several caveats are in order.
a. If or not gravity waves can be composed of Gravitons is a non-trivial matter and in spite of Freeman Dyson's statement as to the impossibility of finding Gravitons, the author has reviewed Dyson's arguments as to the Gertshenshtein process effect and probability and found that these arguments most heavily fall upon more than kilometer long interferometer geometry and the light years of propagation given in Dyson's paper.
http://publications.ias.edu/sites/default/files/poincare2012.pdf
Infinite Energy, Space Travel... Would this be the greatest Discovery of our ...GLOBAL HEAVYLIFT HOLDINGS
"This might be the greatest discovery of our time. The Holy Grail of almost infinite energy production, and propulsion through the universe using the fabric of nature. I am telling this story as it was told to me.
In 2013, an international incident was created by the intent of a government to violate a treaty to share scientific information with another. The scientists and their work had to be extracted before the scientists were assassinated and their work used as strategic advantage to who knows what purposes.
Just a couple of hours more and the scientists would have been killed and the discovery would be in the hands of only one country, and may not for the most noble of purposes." - Francisco Lopez
We describe the discovery of a satellite in orbit about the dwarf planet (136472) Makemake. This
satellite, provisionally designated S/2015 (136472) 1, was detected in imaging data collected with the
Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 on UTC April 27, 2015 at 7.80±0.04 magnitudes
fainter than Makemake. It likely evaded detection in previous satellite searches due to a nearly edgeon
orbital configuration, placing it deep within the glare of Makemake during a substantial fraction
of its orbital period. This configuration would place Makemake and its satellite near a mutual event
season. Insufficient orbital motion was detected to make a detailed characterization of its orbital
properties, prohibiting a measurement of the system mass with the discovery data alone. Preliminary
analysis indicates that if the orbit is circular, its orbital period must be longer than 12.4 days, and
must have a semi-major axis &21,000 km. We find that the properties of Makemake’s moon suggest
that the majority of the dark material detected in the system by thermal observations may not reside
on the surface of Makemake, but may instead be attributable to S/2015 (136472) 1 having a uniform
dark surface. This “dark moon hypothesis” can be directly tested with future JWST observations.
We discuss the implications of this discovery for the spin state, figure, and thermal properties of
Makemake and the apparent ubiquity of trans-Neptunian dwarf planet satellites.
Chiotelis Ioannis, Theodoropoulou Maria, “Searching for Black Holes. Photometry in our Classrooms”, Hellenic Conference on Innovating STEM Education, 16-18 December 2016, Athens, Greece.
Visible spectra of (474640) 2004 VN112–2013 RF98 with OSIRIS at the 10.4 m GT...Sérgio Sacani
The existence of significant anisotropies in the distributions of the directions of perihelia and
orbital poles of the known extreme trans-Neptunian objects (ETNOs) has been used to claim
that trans-Plutonian planets may exist. Among the known ETNOs, the pair (474640) 2004
VN112–2013 RF98 stands out. Their orbital poles and the directions of their perihelia and their
velocities at perihelion/aphelion are separated by a few degrees, but orbital similarity does
not necessarily imply common physical origin. In an attempt to unravel their physical nature,
visible spectroscopy of both targets was obtained using the OSIRIS camera-spectrograph at the
10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). From the spectral analysis, we find that 474640–2013
RF98 have similar spectral slopes (12 versus 15 per cent/0.1 µm), very different from Sedna’s
but compatible with those of (148209) 2000 CR105 and 2012 VP113. These five ETNOs belong
to the group of seven linked to the Planet Nine hypothesis. A dynamical pathway consistent
with these findings is dissociation of a binary asteroid during a close encounter with a planet
and we confirm its plausibility using N-body simulations. We thus conclude that both the
dynamical and spectroscopic properties of 474640–2013 RF98 favour a genetic link and their
current orbits suggest that the pair was kicked by a perturber near aphelion
Merging galaxy clusters leave long-lasting signatures on the baryonic and non-baryonic cluster constituents,
including shock fronts, cold fronts, X-ray substructure, radio halos, and offsets between the dark matter (DM) and
the gas components. Using observations from Chandra, the Jansky Very Large Array, the Giant Metrewave Radio
Telescope, and the Hubble Space Telescope, we present a multiwavelength analysis of the merging Frontier Fields
cluster MACS J0416.1-2403 (z = 0.396), which consists of NE and SW subclusters whose cores are separated on
the sky by ∼250 kpc. We find that the NE subcluster has a compact core and hosts an X-ray cavity, yet it is not a
cool core. Approximately 450 kpc south–southwest of the SW subcluster, we detect a density discontinuity that
corresponds to a compression factor of ∼1.5. The discontinuity was most likely caused by the interaction of the
SW subcluster with a less massive structure detected in the lensing maps SW of the subclusterʼs center. For both
the NE and the SW subclusters, the DM and the gas components are well-aligned, suggesting that MACS J0416.1-
2403 is a pre-merging system. The cluster also hosts a radio halo, which is unusual for a pre-merging system. The
halo has a 1.4 GHz power of (1.3 ± 0.3) × 1024WHz−1, which is somewhat lower than expected based on the
X-ray luminosity of the cluster if the spectrum of the halo is not ultra-steep. We suggest that we are either
witnessing the birth of a radio halo, or have discovered a rare ultra-steep spectrum halo.
Probing the innermost_regions_of_agn_jets_and_their_magnetic_fields_with_radi...Sérgio Sacani
Desde 1974, observações feitas com o chamado Long Baseline Interferometry, ou VLBI, combinaram sinais de um objeto cósmico recebidos em diferentes rádio telescópios espalhados pelo globo para criar uma antena com o tamanho equivalente à maior separação entre elas. Isso fez com que fosse possível fazer imagens com uma nitidez sem precedentes, com uma resolução 1000 vezes melhor do que Hubble consegue na luz visível. Agora, uma equipe internacional de astrônomos quebrou todos os recordes combinando 15 rádio telescópios na Terra e a antena de rádio da missão RadioAstron, da agência espacial russa, na órbita da Terra. O trabalho, liderado pelo Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, o IAA-CSIC, forneceu novas ideias sobre a natureza das galáxias ativas, onde um buraco negro extremamente massivo engole a matéria ao redor enquanto simultaneamente emite um par de jatos de partículas de alta energia e campos magnéticos a velocidades próximas da velocidade da luz.
Observações feitas no comprimento de onda das micro-ondas são essenciais para explorar esses jatos, já que os elétrons de alta energia se movendo em campos magnéticos são mais proficientes em produzir micro-ondas. Mas a maioria das galáxias ativas com jatos brilhantes estão a bilhões de anos-luz de distância da Terra, de modo que esses jatos são minúsculos no céu. Desse modo a alta resolução é essencial para observar esses jatos em ação e então revelar fenômenos como as ondas de choque e a turbulência que controla o quanto de luz é produzida num dado tempo. “Combinando pela primeira vez rádio telescópios na Terra com rádio telescópios no espaço, operando na máxima resolução, tem permitido que a nossa equipe crie uma antena que tem um tamanho equivalente a 8 vezes o diâmetro da Terra, correspondendo a 20 micro arcos de segundo”, disse José L; Gómez, o líder da equipe no Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, IAA-CSIC.
NGTS-1b: A hot Jupiter transiting an M-dwarfSérgio Sacani
We present the discovery of NGTS-1b, a hot-Jupiter transiting an early M-dwarf
host (Teff,∗=3916 +71
−63 K) in a P = 2.647 d orbit discovered as part of the Next Generation
Transit Survey (NGTS). The planet has a mass of 0.812 +0.066
−0.075MJ and radius
of 1.33 +0.61
−0.33 RJ , making it the largest and most massive planet discovered transiting
any M-dwarf. NGTS-1b is the third transiting giant planet found around an M-dwarf,
reinforcing the notion that close-in gas giants can form and migrate similar to the
known population of hot Jupiters around solar type stars. The host star shows no
signs of activity, and the kinematics hint at the star being from the thick disk population.
With a deep (2.5%) transit around a K = 11.9 host, NGTS-1b will be a strong
candidate to probe giant planet composition around M-dwarfs via JWST transmission
spectroscopy.
Infinite Energy, Space Travel... Would this be the greatest Discovery of our ...GLOBAL HEAVYLIFT HOLDINGS
"This might be the greatest discovery of our time. The Holy Grail of almost infinite energy production, and propulsion through the universe using the fabric of nature. I am telling this story as it was told to me.
In 2013, an international incident was created by the intent of a government to violate a treaty to share scientific information with another. The scientists and their work had to be extracted before the scientists were assassinated and their work used as strategic advantage to who knows what purposes.
Just a couple of hours more and the scientists would have been killed and the discovery would be in the hands of only one country, and may not for the most noble of purposes." - Francisco Lopez
Uma espetacular colisão de galáxias foi descoberta além da Via Láctea. O sistema mais próximo já descoberto, a identificação foi anunciada por uma equipe de astrônomos liderada pelo Professor Quentin Parker da Universidade de Hong Kong e pelo Professor Albert Zijlstra na Universidade de Manchester.
A galáxia está a 30 milhões de anos-luz de distância, o que significa que ela é relativamente próxima. Ela foi chamada de Roda de Kathryn, em homenagem à sua semelhança com o famoso fogo de artifício e também em homenagem à esposa do coautor do trabalho.
Esses sistemas são muito raros e nascem da colisão entre duas galáxias de tamanhos similares. As ondas de choque geradas na colisão comprimem o reservatório de gás em cada galáxia e disparam a formação de novas estrelas. Isso cria um espetacular anel de intensa emissão, e ilumina o sistema, do mesmo modo que a Roda Catherine ilumina a noite num show de fogos de artifício.
As galáxias crescem através de colisões, mas é raro registrar esse processo acontecendo, e é extremamente raro ver o anel da colisão em progresso. Pouco mais de 20 sistemas com anéis completos são conhecidos.
Chandra deep observation_of_xdcpj004402033_a_massive_galaxy_cluster_at_z_1_5Sérgio Sacani
Artigo apresenta os resultados obtidos pelo Chandra ao medir com precisão a massa do mais massivo aglomerado de galáxias do universo distante, o Aglomerado Gioiello.
The Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS)Sérgio Sacani
We describe the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), which is a ground-based
project searching for transiting exoplanets orbiting bright stars. NGTS builds on the
legacy of previous surveys, most notably WASP, and is designed to achieve higher
photometric precision and hence find smaller planets than have previously been de-
tected from the ground. It also operates in red light, maximising sensitivity to late
K and early M dwarf stars. The survey specifications call for photometric precision
of 0.1 per cent in red light over an instantaneous field of view of 100 square degrees,
enabling the detection of Neptune-sized exoplanets around Sun-like stars and super-
Earths around M dwarfs. The survey is carried out with a purpose-built facility at
Cerro Paranal, Chile, which is the premier site of the European Southern Observatory
(ESO). An array of twelve 20 cm f/2.8 telescopes fitted with back-illuminated deep-
depletion CCD cameras are used to survey fields intensively at intermediate Galactic
latitudes. The instrument is also ideally suited to ground-based photometric follow-up
of exoplanet candidates from space telescopes such as Gaia, TESS and PLATO. We
present observations that combine precise autoguiding and the superb observing con-
ditions at Paranal to provide routine photometric precision of 0.1 per cent in 1 hour
for stars with I-band magnitudes brighter than 13. We describe the instrument and
data analysis methods as well as the status of the survey, which achieved first light
in 2015 and began full survey operations in 2016. NGTS data will be made publicly
available through the ESO archive.
The curiosity to find earth-like planet can be dated to long time ago. But because of the incapability of the available technologies, it was a dream to detect planets beyond our solar system. After the time stated, the space research have taken a new leap and opened a new era of information. The concept of Exoplanet born. It can also be referred to as Extra Solar Planet. Any planet which is not within our solar system is Exoplanet. But an absolute definition is quite complex and problematic. So some of the important characteristics of an Exoplanet is it has to be earth-like environment, it can be giant or terrestrial type
The curiosity to find earth-like planet can be dated to long time ago. But because of the incapability of the available technologies, it was a dream to detect planets beyond our solar system. After the time stated, the space research have taken a new leap and opened a new era of information. The concept of Exoplanet born. It can also be referred to as Extra Solar Planet. Any planet which is not within our solar system is Exoplanet. But an absolute definition is quite complex and problematic. So some of the important characteristics of an Exoplanet is it has to be earth-like environment, it can be giant or terrestrial type
Artigo que descreve a descoberta do exoplaneta Kepler-432b, um exoplaneta mais massivo que Júpiter que orbita uma estrela gigante vermelha bem próximo e numa órbita extremamente alongada.
The neowise discovered_comet_population_and_the_co_co2_production_ratesSérgio Sacani
Após o seu lançamento em 2009, a sonda NEOWISE da NASA já observou 163 cometas durante a missão primária WISE/NEOWISE. Essa amostra do telescópio espacial representa a maior pesquisa infravermelha de cometas já feitas até o momento. Os dados dessa pesquisa estão dando uma nova ideia sobre a poeira, o tamanho dos núcleos do cometa, e a taxa de produção dos gases difíceis de serem observados como dióxido de carbono e monóxido de carbono. Os resultados do censo do NEOWISE dos cometas foram recentemente publicados no Astrophysical Journal.
O monóxido de carbono (CO) e o dióxido de carbono (CO2) são moléculas comuns encontradas no ambiente do início do Sistema Solar, e nos cometas. Na maior parte das circunstâncias, a sublimação do gelo de água provavelmente guia a atividade nos cometas quando eles chegam perto do Sol, mas em distâncias maiores e em temperaturas mais frias, outras moléculas como o CO e o CO2 podem ser os principais guias. O dióxido e o monóxido de carbono são moléculas difíceis de serem detectadas da terra, devido a abundância dessas moléculas na própria atmosfera terrestre que podem obscurecer o sinal. A sonda NEOWISE vaga além da atmosfera da Terra, fazendo essas medidas dos gases emitidos pelos cometas possíveis.
“Essa é a primeira vez que nós observamos essa grande evidência estatística do monóxido de carbono obtida enquanto o gás do cometa é emitido quando ele está mais distante do Sol”, disse James Bauer, vice-principal pesquisador da missão NEOWISE do Laboratório de Propulsão a Jato da NASA em Pasadena, na Califórnia, e autor do artigo. “Emitindo o que é provavelmente monóxido de carbono além de 4 Unidades Astronômicas, ou seja, 600 milhões de quilômetros, isso nos mostra que os cometas podem ter guardado a maior parte dos gases quando eles se formaram, e ficaram ali guardados por bilhões de anos. A maioria dos cometas que nós observamos ativos além das 4 Unidades Astronômicas, são cometas de períodos longos, cometas com períodos orbitais maiores que 200 anos que gastam a maior parte da sua vida além da órbita de Netuno”.
Stellar-like objects with effective temperatures of 2700K and below are referred to as
20 "ultracool dwarfs"1. This heterogeneous group includes both extremely low-mass stars
21 and brown dwarfs (substellar objects not massive enough to sustain hydrogen fusion),
22 and represents about 15% of the stellar-like objects in the vicinity of the Sun2. Based on
23 the small masses and sizes of their protoplanetary disks3,4, core-accretion theory for
24 ultracool dwarfs predicts a large, but heretofore undetected, population of close-in
25 terrestrial planets5, ranging from metal-rich Mercury-sized planets6 to more hospitable
26 volatile-rich Earth-sized planets7. Here we report the discovery of three short-period
27 Earth-sized planets transiting an ultracool dwarf star 12 parsecs away. The inner two
28 planets receive four and two times the irradiation of Earth, respectively, placing them
29 close to the inner edge of the habitable zone of the star8. Eleven orbits remain possible
30 for the third planet based on our data, the most likely resulting in an irradiation
31 significantly smaller than Earth's. The infrared brightness of the host star combined
32 with its Jupiter-like size offer the possibility of constraining the composition and
33 thoroughly characterizing the atmospheric properties of the components of this nearby
34 planetary system, notably to detect potential biosignatures.
Evidence for reflected_lightfrom_the_most_eccentric_exoplanet_knownSérgio Sacani
Planets in highly eccentric orbits form a class of objects not seen within our Solar System. The most extreme case known amongst these objects is the planet orbiting HD 20782, with an orbital period of 597 days and an eccentricity of 0.96. Here we present new data and analysis for this system as part of the Transit Ephemeris Refinement and Monitoring Survey (TERMS). We obtained CHIRON spectra to perform an independent estimation of the fundamental stellar parameters. New radial velocities from AAT and PARAS observations during periastron passage greatly improve our knowledge of the eccentric nature of the orbit. The combined analysis of our Keplerian orbital and Hipparcos astrometry show that the inclination of the planetary orbit is > 1.22◦, ruling out stellar masses for the companion. Our long-term robotic photometry show that the star is extremely stable over long timescales. Photometric monitoring of the star during predicted transit and periastron times using MOST rule out a transit of the planet and reveal evidence of phase variations during periastron. These possible photometric phase variations may be caused by reflected light from the planet’s atmosphere and the dramatic change in star–planet separation surrounding the periastron passage.
Possible Ripple in LIGO MIT NSF Announcement of Gravitational Wave "Ripples i...GLOBAL HEAVYLIFT HOLDINGS
Possible Ripple in LIGO MIT NSF Announcement of Gravitational Wave "Ripples in Einsteinian Space-Time" Detection Suggested by Astrophysicist Dr. Andrew W. Beckwith, Chongqing University Department of Physics, PRC
Chongqing, Peoples Republic of China 2/12/16 1238 EST, +5 GMT -The author has viewed extensively the LIGO paper in PRD and finds that it is a very good beginning. However several caveats are in order.
a. If or not gravity waves can be composed of Gravitons is a non-trivial matter and in spite of Freeman Dyson's statement as to the impossibility of finding Gravitons, the author has reviewed Dyson's arguments as to the Gertshenshtein process effect and probability and found that these arguments most heavily fall upon more than kilometer long interferometer geometry and the light years of propagation given in Dyson's paper.
http://publications.ias.edu/sites/default/files/poincare2012.pdf
Infinite Energy, Space Travel... Would this be the greatest Discovery of our ...GLOBAL HEAVYLIFT HOLDINGS
"This might be the greatest discovery of our time. The Holy Grail of almost infinite energy production, and propulsion through the universe using the fabric of nature. I am telling this story as it was told to me.
In 2013, an international incident was created by the intent of a government to violate a treaty to share scientific information with another. The scientists and their work had to be extracted before the scientists were assassinated and their work used as strategic advantage to who knows what purposes.
Just a couple of hours more and the scientists would have been killed and the discovery would be in the hands of only one country, and may not for the most noble of purposes." - Francisco Lopez
We describe the discovery of a satellite in orbit about the dwarf planet (136472) Makemake. This
satellite, provisionally designated S/2015 (136472) 1, was detected in imaging data collected with the
Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 on UTC April 27, 2015 at 7.80±0.04 magnitudes
fainter than Makemake. It likely evaded detection in previous satellite searches due to a nearly edgeon
orbital configuration, placing it deep within the glare of Makemake during a substantial fraction
of its orbital period. This configuration would place Makemake and its satellite near a mutual event
season. Insufficient orbital motion was detected to make a detailed characterization of its orbital
properties, prohibiting a measurement of the system mass with the discovery data alone. Preliminary
analysis indicates that if the orbit is circular, its orbital period must be longer than 12.4 days, and
must have a semi-major axis &21,000 km. We find that the properties of Makemake’s moon suggest
that the majority of the dark material detected in the system by thermal observations may not reside
on the surface of Makemake, but may instead be attributable to S/2015 (136472) 1 having a uniform
dark surface. This “dark moon hypothesis” can be directly tested with future JWST observations.
We discuss the implications of this discovery for the spin state, figure, and thermal properties of
Makemake and the apparent ubiquity of trans-Neptunian dwarf planet satellites.
Chiotelis Ioannis, Theodoropoulou Maria, “Searching for Black Holes. Photometry in our Classrooms”, Hellenic Conference on Innovating STEM Education, 16-18 December 2016, Athens, Greece.
Visible spectra of (474640) 2004 VN112–2013 RF98 with OSIRIS at the 10.4 m GT...Sérgio Sacani
The existence of significant anisotropies in the distributions of the directions of perihelia and
orbital poles of the known extreme trans-Neptunian objects (ETNOs) has been used to claim
that trans-Plutonian planets may exist. Among the known ETNOs, the pair (474640) 2004
VN112–2013 RF98 stands out. Their orbital poles and the directions of their perihelia and their
velocities at perihelion/aphelion are separated by a few degrees, but orbital similarity does
not necessarily imply common physical origin. In an attempt to unravel their physical nature,
visible spectroscopy of both targets was obtained using the OSIRIS camera-spectrograph at the
10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). From the spectral analysis, we find that 474640–2013
RF98 have similar spectral slopes (12 versus 15 per cent/0.1 µm), very different from Sedna’s
but compatible with those of (148209) 2000 CR105 and 2012 VP113. These five ETNOs belong
to the group of seven linked to the Planet Nine hypothesis. A dynamical pathway consistent
with these findings is dissociation of a binary asteroid during a close encounter with a planet
and we confirm its plausibility using N-body simulations. We thus conclude that both the
dynamical and spectroscopic properties of 474640–2013 RF98 favour a genetic link and their
current orbits suggest that the pair was kicked by a perturber near aphelion
Merging galaxy clusters leave long-lasting signatures on the baryonic and non-baryonic cluster constituents,
including shock fronts, cold fronts, X-ray substructure, radio halos, and offsets between the dark matter (DM) and
the gas components. Using observations from Chandra, the Jansky Very Large Array, the Giant Metrewave Radio
Telescope, and the Hubble Space Telescope, we present a multiwavelength analysis of the merging Frontier Fields
cluster MACS J0416.1-2403 (z = 0.396), which consists of NE and SW subclusters whose cores are separated on
the sky by ∼250 kpc. We find that the NE subcluster has a compact core and hosts an X-ray cavity, yet it is not a
cool core. Approximately 450 kpc south–southwest of the SW subcluster, we detect a density discontinuity that
corresponds to a compression factor of ∼1.5. The discontinuity was most likely caused by the interaction of the
SW subcluster with a less massive structure detected in the lensing maps SW of the subclusterʼs center. For both
the NE and the SW subclusters, the DM and the gas components are well-aligned, suggesting that MACS J0416.1-
2403 is a pre-merging system. The cluster also hosts a radio halo, which is unusual for a pre-merging system. The
halo has a 1.4 GHz power of (1.3 ± 0.3) × 1024WHz−1, which is somewhat lower than expected based on the
X-ray luminosity of the cluster if the spectrum of the halo is not ultra-steep. We suggest that we are either
witnessing the birth of a radio halo, or have discovered a rare ultra-steep spectrum halo.
Probing the innermost_regions_of_agn_jets_and_their_magnetic_fields_with_radi...Sérgio Sacani
Desde 1974, observações feitas com o chamado Long Baseline Interferometry, ou VLBI, combinaram sinais de um objeto cósmico recebidos em diferentes rádio telescópios espalhados pelo globo para criar uma antena com o tamanho equivalente à maior separação entre elas. Isso fez com que fosse possível fazer imagens com uma nitidez sem precedentes, com uma resolução 1000 vezes melhor do que Hubble consegue na luz visível. Agora, uma equipe internacional de astrônomos quebrou todos os recordes combinando 15 rádio telescópios na Terra e a antena de rádio da missão RadioAstron, da agência espacial russa, na órbita da Terra. O trabalho, liderado pelo Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, o IAA-CSIC, forneceu novas ideias sobre a natureza das galáxias ativas, onde um buraco negro extremamente massivo engole a matéria ao redor enquanto simultaneamente emite um par de jatos de partículas de alta energia e campos magnéticos a velocidades próximas da velocidade da luz.
Observações feitas no comprimento de onda das micro-ondas são essenciais para explorar esses jatos, já que os elétrons de alta energia se movendo em campos magnéticos são mais proficientes em produzir micro-ondas. Mas a maioria das galáxias ativas com jatos brilhantes estão a bilhões de anos-luz de distância da Terra, de modo que esses jatos são minúsculos no céu. Desse modo a alta resolução é essencial para observar esses jatos em ação e então revelar fenômenos como as ondas de choque e a turbulência que controla o quanto de luz é produzida num dado tempo. “Combinando pela primeira vez rádio telescópios na Terra com rádio telescópios no espaço, operando na máxima resolução, tem permitido que a nossa equipe crie uma antena que tem um tamanho equivalente a 8 vezes o diâmetro da Terra, correspondendo a 20 micro arcos de segundo”, disse José L; Gómez, o líder da equipe no Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, IAA-CSIC.
NGTS-1b: A hot Jupiter transiting an M-dwarfSérgio Sacani
We present the discovery of NGTS-1b, a hot-Jupiter transiting an early M-dwarf
host (Teff,∗=3916 +71
−63 K) in a P = 2.647 d orbit discovered as part of the Next Generation
Transit Survey (NGTS). The planet has a mass of 0.812 +0.066
−0.075MJ and radius
of 1.33 +0.61
−0.33 RJ , making it the largest and most massive planet discovered transiting
any M-dwarf. NGTS-1b is the third transiting giant planet found around an M-dwarf,
reinforcing the notion that close-in gas giants can form and migrate similar to the
known population of hot Jupiters around solar type stars. The host star shows no
signs of activity, and the kinematics hint at the star being from the thick disk population.
With a deep (2.5%) transit around a K = 11.9 host, NGTS-1b will be a strong
candidate to probe giant planet composition around M-dwarfs via JWST transmission
spectroscopy.
Infinite Energy, Space Travel... Would this be the greatest Discovery of our ...GLOBAL HEAVYLIFT HOLDINGS
"This might be the greatest discovery of our time. The Holy Grail of almost infinite energy production, and propulsion through the universe using the fabric of nature. I am telling this story as it was told to me.
In 2013, an international incident was created by the intent of a government to violate a treaty to share scientific information with another. The scientists and their work had to be extracted before the scientists were assassinated and their work used as strategic advantage to who knows what purposes.
Just a couple of hours more and the scientists would have been killed and the discovery would be in the hands of only one country, and may not for the most noble of purposes." - Francisco Lopez
Uma espetacular colisão de galáxias foi descoberta além da Via Láctea. O sistema mais próximo já descoberto, a identificação foi anunciada por uma equipe de astrônomos liderada pelo Professor Quentin Parker da Universidade de Hong Kong e pelo Professor Albert Zijlstra na Universidade de Manchester.
A galáxia está a 30 milhões de anos-luz de distância, o que significa que ela é relativamente próxima. Ela foi chamada de Roda de Kathryn, em homenagem à sua semelhança com o famoso fogo de artifício e também em homenagem à esposa do coautor do trabalho.
Esses sistemas são muito raros e nascem da colisão entre duas galáxias de tamanhos similares. As ondas de choque geradas na colisão comprimem o reservatório de gás em cada galáxia e disparam a formação de novas estrelas. Isso cria um espetacular anel de intensa emissão, e ilumina o sistema, do mesmo modo que a Roda Catherine ilumina a noite num show de fogos de artifício.
As galáxias crescem através de colisões, mas é raro registrar esse processo acontecendo, e é extremamente raro ver o anel da colisão em progresso. Pouco mais de 20 sistemas com anéis completos são conhecidos.
Chandra deep observation_of_xdcpj004402033_a_massive_galaxy_cluster_at_z_1_5Sérgio Sacani
Artigo apresenta os resultados obtidos pelo Chandra ao medir com precisão a massa do mais massivo aglomerado de galáxias do universo distante, o Aglomerado Gioiello.
The Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS)Sérgio Sacani
We describe the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), which is a ground-based
project searching for transiting exoplanets orbiting bright stars. NGTS builds on the
legacy of previous surveys, most notably WASP, and is designed to achieve higher
photometric precision and hence find smaller planets than have previously been de-
tected from the ground. It also operates in red light, maximising sensitivity to late
K and early M dwarf stars. The survey specifications call for photometric precision
of 0.1 per cent in red light over an instantaneous field of view of 100 square degrees,
enabling the detection of Neptune-sized exoplanets around Sun-like stars and super-
Earths around M dwarfs. The survey is carried out with a purpose-built facility at
Cerro Paranal, Chile, which is the premier site of the European Southern Observatory
(ESO). An array of twelve 20 cm f/2.8 telescopes fitted with back-illuminated deep-
depletion CCD cameras are used to survey fields intensively at intermediate Galactic
latitudes. The instrument is also ideally suited to ground-based photometric follow-up
of exoplanet candidates from space telescopes such as Gaia, TESS and PLATO. We
present observations that combine precise autoguiding and the superb observing con-
ditions at Paranal to provide routine photometric precision of 0.1 per cent in 1 hour
for stars with I-band magnitudes brighter than 13. We describe the instrument and
data analysis methods as well as the status of the survey, which achieved first light
in 2015 and began full survey operations in 2016. NGTS data will be made publicly
available through the ESO archive.
The curiosity to find earth-like planet can be dated to long time ago. But because of the incapability of the available technologies, it was a dream to detect planets beyond our solar system. After the time stated, the space research have taken a new leap and opened a new era of information. The concept of Exoplanet born. It can also be referred to as Extra Solar Planet. Any planet which is not within our solar system is Exoplanet. But an absolute definition is quite complex and problematic. So some of the important characteristics of an Exoplanet is it has to be earth-like environment, it can be giant or terrestrial type
The curiosity to find earth-like planet can be dated to long time ago. But because of the incapability of the available technologies, it was a dream to detect planets beyond our solar system. After the time stated, the space research have taken a new leap and opened a new era of information. The concept of Exoplanet born. It can also be referred to as Extra Solar Planet. Any planet which is not within our solar system is Exoplanet. But an absolute definition is quite complex and problematic. So some of the important characteristics of an Exoplanet is it has to be earth-like environment, it can be giant or terrestrial type
Search for potential collaborators and students in UJ research fields: Nuclea...Rene Kotze
Prof Azwinndini Muronga (UJ Physics Department and Soweto Science Centre Director) is in search for potential collaborators and students in their research fields which are Nuclear, Particle, Astrophysics and Cosmology at the University of Johannesburg. If you know students and staff who will be interested please pass this on to anyone you know on the African continent. Students may come and study at UJ from Honours level up to PhD level. Staff interested in collaborating with us at UJ are strongly encouraged to do so.
Attached please find an electronic poster that depicts the UJ research activities
This presentation provides an overview of NASA's Science Mission Directorate that carries out the agency's missions for Earth science, heliophysics, astrophysics, and planetary sciences.
http://science.nasa.gov/
Computational Training and Data Literacy for Domain ScientistsJoshua Bloom
Presented at the National Academy of Sciences (11 April 2014, Washington, D.C.) at the workshop "Training Students to Extract Value from Big Data.” Discussion of computational and programming education at UC Berkeley. Emphasis on Python as a glue/gateway language. An advocation for the notion of first teaching "Data Literacy" to domain scientists before teaching Big Data proficiency.
ASTRONOMICAL OBJECTS DETECTION IN CELESTIAL BODIES USING COMPUTER VISION ALGO...csandit
Computer vision, astronomy, and astrophysics function quite productively together to the point where they are completely logical for each other. Out of computer vision algorithms the
progress of astronomy and astrophysics would have slowed down to reasonably a deadlock. The new researches and calculations can lead to more information as well as higher quality of data. Consequently, an organized view on planetary surfaces can change all in the long run. A new
discovery would be a puzzling complexity or a possible branching of paths, yet the quest to know more about the celestial bodies by dint of computer vision algorithms will continue. The detection of astronomical objects in celestial bodies is a challenging task. This paper presents
an implementation of how to detect astronomical objects in celestial bodies using computer vision algorithm with satisfactory performance. It also puts forward some observations linked
among computer vision, astronomy, and astrophysics.
Beyond the Drake Equation: A Time-Dependent Inventory of Habitable Planets an...Sérgio Sacani
We introduce a mathematical framework for statistical exoplanet population and astrobiology studies
that may help directing future observational efforts and experiments. The approach is based on a
set of differential equations and provides a time-dependent mapping between star formation, metal
enrichment, and the occurrence of exoplanets and potentially life-harboring worlds over the chemopopulation history of the solar neighborhood. Our results are summarized as follows: 1) the formation
of exoplanets in the solar vicinity was episodic, starting with the emergence of the thick disk about
11 Gyr ago; 2) within 100 pc from the Sun, there are as many as 11, 000 (η⊕/0.24) Earth-size planets
in the habitable zone (“temperate terrestrial planets” or TTPs) of K-type stars. The solar system is
younger than the median TTP, and was created in a star formation surge that peaked 5.5 Gyr ago and
was triggered by an external agent; 3) the metallicity modulation of the giant planet occurrence rate
results in a later typical formation time, with TTPs outnumbering giant planets at early times; 4) the
closest, life-harboring Earth-like planet would be ∼
< 20 pc away if microbial life arose as soon as it did
on Earth in ∼
> 1% of the TTPs around K stars. If simple life is abundant (fast abiogenesis), it is also
old, as it would have emerged more than 8 Gyr ago in about one third of all life-bearing planets today.
Older Earth analogs are more likely to have developed sufficiently complex life capable of altering the
environment and producing detectable oxygenic biosignatures.
“Bridging Worlds: 1 How CERN Sheds Light on Eclipsesrozina shaheen
CERN eclipses have long fascinated humanity, marking the moments when our solar system’s celestial dance takes center stage. From the awe-inspiring beauty of solar eclipses to the mysterious allure of lunar eclipses, these phenomena have stirred the imaginations of cultures and people throughout history.
Yet, amid this cosmic spectacle, an unlikely player has emerged: the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN. Despite being known for its groundbreaking work in particle physics, CERN’s connection to the study of eclipses may come as a surprise to many. In this blog post, we’ll explore this exciting intersection, exploring how CERN research sheds new light on understanding eclipses in ways we never imagined.
Understanding Particle Physics and Astrophysics:
CERN stands as a beacon of scientific innovation, its crown jewel being the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s most powerful particle accelerator. At its core, CERN’s mission revolves around unlocking the mysteries of particle physics, probing the fundamental building blocks of the universe with unprecedented precision.
Particle accelerators like the LHC play an important role in our quest to understand the universe. By recreating conditions similar to the earliest moments of the universe’s existence, these mighty machines offer glimpses into the fabric of reality itself. They allow us to study particles at energies unimaginable in everyday life, providing invaluable insight into the fundamental forces and phenomena that govern our universe.
Yet, CERN’s impact extends beyond just the realm of particle physics. It exemplifies the interdisciplinary nature of scientific inquiry, making connections across different fields of study. Astrophysics, in particular, benefits greatly from CERN’s expertise, as discoveries in particle physics often have a profound impact on our understanding of the universe.
By combining the worlds of particle physics and astrophysics, CERN illuminates new avenues of discovery, revealing unexpected connections between seemingly disparate domains of knowledge. In the following sections, we’ll take a deeper look at this fascinating interaction, revealing how CERN’s research informs our understanding of eclipses and reshapes our view of the universe.
CERN’s involvement in eclipse research may seem unexpected at first glance, given its primary focus on particle physics. However, the complex interplay between celestial phenomena and fundamental physics provides fertile ground for discovery. Eclipses offer unique opportunities to study the behavior of matter and energy under extreme conditions, in line with CERN’s mission to unravel the mysteries of the universe.
2. Support of modern technologies:
• CERN’s arsenal of advanced technologies and advanced data analysis techniques contribute to our understanding of celestial phenomena, including lunar eclipses.
“Bridging Worlds: 1 How CERN Sheds Light on Eclipses
GrantProposalSethKrantzler_Fra
1. 1
Detailed
Numerical
Modeling
of
Multi-‐
Planet
Systems
Our
scientific
understanding
of
the
Universe
through
astronomical
measurements
has
been
improving
enormously
over
the
last
few
decades,
but
there
is
still
so
much
to
learn.
One
of
the
topics
at
the
forefront
of
astrophysical
research
is
exoplanets,
planets
that
orbit
stars
or
stellar
remnants
outside
of
our
own
solar
system.
Since
the
discovery
of
the
first
exoplanet
in
1995,
51-‐Pegasi,
the
field
has
been
growing
rapidly.
Today,
more
than
1,800
new
exoplanets
have
been
confirmed
through
a
variety
of
observational
techniques
and
over
4,000
additional
candidate
planets
are
awaiting
confirmation
[6].
The
Kepler
spacecraft,
launched
by
NASA
in
2009,
is
responsible
for
a
large
majority
of
these
discoveries,
and
more
importantly,
for
most
of
the
nearly
500
multi-‐planet
systems
that
have
been
discovered.
These
Kepler
multi-‐planet
systems
are
one
of
the
many
surprises
that
have
been
brought
to
light
from
our
interest
in
exoplanets
[1].
Many
Kepler
multi-‐planet
systems
contain
planets
with
very
tight
orbits.
Some
of
these
systems
contain
“Hot
Jupiters”
Jupiter
sized
planets
with
orbital
periods
less
than
Mercury’s
(e.g.,
[2,3,4,5]).
Kepler
multi-‐planet
systems
with
close
planets
that
have
masses
ranging
from
Earth-‐like
to
Jupiter-‐like
and
orbits
of
only
a
few
days
challenge
the
existing
theories
of
planetary
creation
and
evolution.
Because
many
of
these
planets
are
on
tight
orbits,
orbiting
very
close
to
the
central
star,
tides
are
expected
to
play
a
key
role
in
the
formation,
evolution,
and
survival
of
Kepler
multi-‐planet
systems.
Tides
are
a
secondary
effect
of
the
gravitational
forces
between
objects.
They
arise
because
one
side
of
an
object
feels
stronger
gravitational
attraction
than
the
other.
In
the
simple
case
of
a
two-‐object
system,
tides
affect
the
spin
of
the
components
and
–
more
importantly
–
the
orbital
separation,
in
an
attempt
to
drive
the
system
into
an
equilibrium
state
where
the
spin
frequency
of
each
object
is
equal
to
the
orbital
frequency.
NASA
has
archived
all
the
recorded
data
regarding
exoplanets
for
public
use[6].
This
archive
contains
a
wealth
of
information
about
each
system’s
orbital
period,
planetary
radius
and
mass,
as
well
as
other
statistics
regarding
the
system’s
characteristics.
To
start
with,
my
research
would
focus
on
specific
Kepler
multi-‐
planet
systems
with
two
close
planets
that
have
tight
orbits,
as
this
is
the
simplest
case
in
terms
of
Kepler
multi-‐planet
systems.
My
goal
is
to
look
at
the
observed
properties
of
these
systems
and
understand
how
tides
affect
their
formation,
evolution,
and
long-‐term
survival.
I
will
accomplish
my
goal
by
extracting
pertinent
data
from
the
relevant
Kepler
systems
to
create
state
of
the
art
numerical
models.
These
numerical
models
will
include
the
most
up
to
date
understanding
of
tidal
dissipation
and
its
uncertainties
[7].
The
computational
tools
needed
to
construct
these
models
have
already
been
developed
in
the
theoretical
astrophysics
group
at
NU
(part
of
CIERA,
the
Center
for
2. 2
Interdisciplinary
Exploration
and
Research
in
Astrophysics).
By
comparing
my
numerical
model
with
the
observations,
I
will
attempt
to
explain
trends
in
the
data,
potentially
shedding
light
on
how
tides
affect
the
secular
evolution
of
two-‐planet
systems.
This
work
will
also
potentially
reveal
new
trends
in
the
properties
of
the
systems.
From
there
I
will
attempt
to
generalize
my
findings
in
relation
to
more
complex
systems
with
more
exoplanets
involved,
as
well
as
to
apply
my
results
to
the
confirmed
exoplanets
that
arise
from
the
large
pool
of
candidate
planets,
which
is
updated
continuously.
This
research
is
important
to
the
field
of
astrophysics
for
many
reasons.
First
off,
the
Kepler
mission
gave
astrophysicists
a
wealth
of
information
on
exoplanets.
The
number
of
exoplanets
discovered
by
Kepler
is
massive
compared
to
the
conventional
methods
in
place
before
Kepler.
This
research
will
help
maximize
the
benefits
of
the
Kepler
mission,
which
produced
so
much
raw
data
that
can
be
looked
through
and
played
with.
Secondly,
the
Kepler
mission
created
a
multitude
of
other
projects
related
to
the
discovery
of
exoplanets.
These
projects
will
be
compiling
similar
data
to
what
Kepler
produced,
so
knowing
what
to
do
with
this
type
of
data
will
be
imperative
to
maximize
future
results
from
these
other
projects.
Additionally
this
kind
of
theoretical
work
can
provide
important
constraints
on
the
physical
mechanisms
entering
the
evolution
of
planetary
systems.
Specifically,
it
will
allow
us
to
learn
about
tidal
theories,
which
are
yet
not
well
constrained,
and
we
can
become
more
precise
with
our
models
for
the
future.
I
will
be
taking
many
steps
to
prepare
for
this
research
project.
I
am
enrolled
in
ASTRO
330-‐ISP
Astrophysics
for
Spring
2015
in
order
to
better
familiarize
myself
with
the
necessary
background
information
regarding
astrophysics.
I
will
also
be
taking
a
fifth
credit
of
independent
study,
ASTRO
399,
with
Professor
Frederic
Rasio,
who
will
be
my
sponsor
for
this
project.
Professor
Rasio
and
I
have
already
talked
about
using
this
independent
study
credit
to
better
educate
me
on
the
intricacies
regarding
exoplanets
and
the
Kepler
multi-‐planet
systems
I
will
be
focusing
on.
I
have
also
taken
the
entire
PHYS
330
Classical
Mechanics
sequence,
which
covers
planetary
motion
and
the
evolution
of
planetary
orbits,
amongst
other
topics
in
classical
mechanics.
I
have
completed
courses
in
Python
and
am
a
proficient
coder.
This
is
helpful
in
the
data
analysis
aspect
of
the
project,
which
will
most
likely
involve
the
use
of
Python
in
order
to
extract
the
information
from
the
NASA
archive
that
is
relevant
to
my
project.
With
the
completion
of
ASTRO
330
in
the
spring,
the
help
of
Professor
Rasio,
and
my
knowledge
of
Python,
I
will
have
all
of
the
necessary
preparation
I
need
in
order
to
accurately
assess
the
data
and
attempt
to
understand
how
tides
effects
the
formation,
evolution,
and
survival
of
Kepler
multi-‐planet
systems.
I
would
like
to
continue
research
on
exoplanets
after
this
project
and
delve
deeper
into
the
intricacies
of
how
these
Kepler
multi-‐planet
systems
form
in
order
to
see
what
they
can
tell
us
about
the
formation
of
solar
systems
as
a
whole.
3. 3
Reference
List:
1.
Howard,
A.
W.
et
al.
Nature
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12767
(2013)
2.
Valsecchi,
Francesca;
Rasio,
Frederic
A
et
al.
2014,
The
Astrophysical
Journal,
Volume
786
Issue
2,
pg
102
3.
Valsecchi,
Francesca;
Rasio,
Frederic
A
et
al.
2014,
The
Astrophysical
Journal
Letters,
Volume
787
Issue
1,
pg
L9
4.
Valsecchi,
Francesca;
Rasio,
Frederic
A
et
al.
2014,
The
Astrophysical
Journal
Letters,
Volume
793
Issue
1,
pg
L3
5.
Li,
Shu-‐Lin
et
al.
2010,
Nature,
Volume
463
Issue
7284,
pg
104-‐106
6.
NASA
Exoplanet
Archive,
http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu
7.
Hut,
P.
et
al.
1982,
Astronomy
and
Astrophysics,
vol.
110
no.
1,
pg
37-‐42