Shakira Mae J.

Adena Assignment in Physical Science

ABM 11-24 February 10, 2018

ALIEN LIFE: NEW PLANETS SIMILAR TO EARTH FOUND BY CITIZEN SCIENTISTS

IN SHOCK DISCOVERY

FIVE new planets similar to earth have been discovered by citizens scientists in a shock discovery, a new report has revealed.
There could even be a sixth to add to the system, which is the first to be discovered by crowdsourcing.

By VICKIIE OLIPHANT
PUBLISHED: 13:49, Sat, Jan 20, 2018 | UPDATED: 14:00, Sat, Jan 20, 2018NASA - CALTECH

The K2-138 planetary system is home to at least five “sub-Neptune” planets.

Over the three-year mission, 287,309 stars were observed and tens of thousands more rolled in every few months. They also
discovered 44 Jupiter-sized planets, 72 Neptune-sized, 44 Earth-sized, and 53 so-called Super Earth's, which are larger than Earth but
smaller than Neptune.

But the most exciting discovery for some was the K2-138 planetary system, home to at least five “sub-Neptune” planets
between the size of Earth and Neptune, nearly 620 light years from Earth. The exoplanet family was discovered after researchers
launched a crowdsourcing project to help sift through three years’ worth of data from 280,000 stars.

And findings from citizen scientists helped lead to the discovery, which is the first of its kind made through crowdsourcing.
Members of the public were given access to the project in an attempt to speed up the research after a software malfunction meant
scientists would have to manually comb through the data, collected using the NASA Kepler space telescope.

K2 collaboration member at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Jessie Christensen said: “People anywhere can
log on and learn what real signals from exoplanets look like, and then look through actual data collected from the Kepler telescope to
vote on whether or not to classify a given signal as a transit or just noise.

“We have each potential transit signal looked at by a minimum of 10 people, and each needs a minimum of 90 percent of ‘yes’
votes to be considered for further characterisation.”

NASA - CALTECH

Solar system's first interstellar visitor dazzles NASA scientists

Within 48 hours of the citizen science project launch, more than 10,000 people had participated, with over two million systems
classified. After three nights, the K2-128 system was identified - which has been described as the “first multiplanet system of exoplanets
discovered entirely by crowdsourcing”.

Astronomers reviewed the citizen scientist data and confirmed the existence of the new system, claiming it’s "extremely likely"
it contains at least four planets and a possible fifth.

There have even been some hints at a sixth planet in the system, which orbits around star K2-138. Dr Christiansen said:
"Some current theories suggest that planets form by a chaotic scattering of rock and gas and other material in the early stages of the
planetary system's life.

“However, these theories are unlikely to result in such a closely packed, orderly system as K2-138."

"What's exciting is that we found this unusual system with the help of the general public

The findings have been published in the Astrophysical Journal and were presented at the meeting of the American
Astronomical Society.