Jump to main content
Science Projects

Using Kepler Space Telescope Data to Identify an Exoplanet

1
2
3
4
5
25 reviews

Summary

Areas of Science
Astronomy
Exoplanets
Space Exploration
Difficulty
 
Time Required
Long (2-4 weeks)
Material Availability
This science project requires a computer with internet access.
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
No issues
Credits
Kenneth L. Hess, Science Buddies
*Note: For this science project you will need to develop your own experimental procedure. Use the information in the summary tab as a starting place. If you would like to discuss your ideas or need help troubleshooting, use the Ask An Expert forum. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions and offer guidance if you come to them with specific questions.

If you want a Project Idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk (*) at the end of the title.

Abstract

The Kepler space telescope is a retired space telescope launched by NASA to discover Earth-size planets orbiting other stars. Named after astronomer Johannes Kepler, the spacecraft was launched on March 7, 2009, into an Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit. The principal investigator was William J. Borucki. After nine years of operation, the telescope's reaction control system fuel was depleted, and NASA announced its retirement on October 30, 2018.

Designed to survey a portion of Earth's region of the Milky Way to discover Earth-size exoplanets in or near habitable zones and estimate how many of the billions of stars in the Milky Way have such planets, Kepler's sole scientific instrument is a photometer that continually monitored the brightness of approximately 150,000 main sequence stars in a fixed field of view. These data are transmitted to Earth, then analyzed to detect periodic dimming caused by exoplanets that cross in front of their host star. Only planets whose orbits are seen edge-on from Earth can be detected. During its over nine and a half years of service, Kepler observed 530,506 stars and detected 2,662 planets. [Wikipedia]

Kepler's data is available free online, and you can use it to identify stars with exoplanets and calculate the basic parameters for the exoplanets (orbital characteristics, size). To start learning how to manipulate the data, check out Andrew Vanderburg's Transit Light Curve Tutorial.

Example graph of brightness over time for an exoplanet measured by the Kepler space telescope

An example line graph of relative brightness over time recorded by the Kepler space telescope. The relative brightness of stars are recorded by the telescope, and 3 evenly spaced dips in the graph signify when an exoplanet is blocking light from the star. The three dips occur about 2 days apart at days 1.2, 3.4 and 5.6.


Figure 1. Kepler light curve of an exoplanet called HAT-P-7 b

Bibliography

This tutorial is key to this project, describing how to obtain and interpret a Kepler transit light curve.

This is the home for Kepler data.

  • Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST). (n.d.). MAST Data. Retrieved December 16, 2019.

In this list of exoplanets, find which Kepler targets have exoplanets here. Planets detected by Kepler will have names that begin with "Kepler" or "K2."

  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2019, December 8). Lists of exoplanets. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 16, 2019.

This website contains advanced information for those who want to go beyond what is required for a basic project.

  • NASA. (2019, October, 24). K2. Kepler and K2 Science Center. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
icon scientific method

Ask an Expert

Do you have specific questions about your science project? Our team of volunteer scientists can help. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot.
Post a Question

Careers

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:

Astronomer
Log in to add favorite
Career Profile
Astronomers think big! They want to understand the entire universe—the nature of the Sun, Moon, planets, stars, galaxies, and everything in between. An astronomer's work can be pure science—gathering and analyzing data from instruments and creating theories about the nature of cosmic objects—or the work can be applied to practical problems in space flight and navigation, or satellite communications. Read more
Geoscientist
Log in to add favorite
Career Profile
Just as a doctor uses tools and techniques, like X-rays and stethoscopes, to look inside the human body, geoscientists explore deep inside a much bigger patient—planet Earth. Geoscientists seek to better understand our planet, and to discover natural resources, like water, minerals, and petroleum oil, which are used in everything from shoes, fabrics, roads, roofs, and lotions to fertilizers, food packaging, ink, and CD's. The work of geoscientists affects everyone and everything. Read more
Meteorologist
Log in to add favorite
Career Profile
The atmosphere is a blanket of gases, surrounding Earth, that creates our weather. Meteorologists study the measurements and motion of the atmosphere, and changing events within it, so that they can predict the weather. This weather forecasting helps the general public and people who work in industries such as shipping, air transportation, agriculture, fishing, forestry, and water and power better plan for the weather, and reduce human and economic losses. Read more
Data Scientist
Log in to add favorite
Career Profile
Many aspects of peoples' daily lives can be summarized using data, from what is the most popular new video game to where people like to go for a summer vacation. Data scientists (sometimes called data analysts) are experts at organizing and analyzing large sets of data (often called "big data"). By doing this, data scientists make conclusions that help other people or companies. For example, data scientists could help a video game company make a more profitable video game based on players'… Read more

News Feed on This Topic

 
, ,

Cite This Page

General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Hess, Kenneth L.. "Using Kepler Space Telescope Data to Identify an Exoplanet." Science Buddies, 17 Oct. 2022, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Exoplanets_p002/exoplanets/kepler-data-exoplanet. Accessed 7 June 2023.

APA Style

Hess, K. (2022, October 17). Using Kepler Space Telescope Data to Identify an Exoplanet. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Exoplanets_p002/exoplanets/kepler-data-exoplanet


Last edit date: 2022-10-17

Explore Our Science Videos

Slow Motion Craters - STEM Activity
Slow Motion Craters - STEM Activity
Solubility Science – STEM Activity
Solubility Science – STEM Activity
Jumping Candle Flame Experiments – STEM activity
Jumping Candle Flame Experiments – STEM activity
Quick Links X
Top
Free science fair projects.