NASA asks for your help in finding new exoplanets using smartphones

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) invites owners of telescopes and smartphones to search for new exoplanets in the program Exoplanet Watch.

Here's What We Know

The space agency started the project about five years ago. Initially, the program was available to a limited number of participants. Now anyone with a telescope or a regular smartphone can participate in Exoplanet Watch.

You can request data from one of NASA's robotic telescopes to watch for transients. These are phenomena when the brightness of a star drops dramatically. One reason for this phenomenon is the presence of a planet that transits the star's disk as it moves along its orbit. Users will be able to study the data and prepare it for planning observations on larger telescopes.

If you have your own telescope, you can help NASA specialists to clarify information on exoplanets that have already been discovered. All you need is a telescope equipped with a 15-centimeter (6") mirror.

The Exoplanet Watch program has helped to collect data on the transients of the exoplanet HD 80606 b. Enthusiasts were able to create a history of continuous observation of the space object. Now in 2023, HD 80606 b will be explored by the James Webb Space Telescope, which recently discovered its first exoplanet.

Source: NASA