The Initial Discovery - February 3 at 3pm
For centuries, scientists and science fiction writers dreamed of distant worlds around far-away stars. Astronomers observed our own planets wandering through the night sky and imagined what other planets could be out there. Could any of them support life? How can we search for them? Since the 1990s, this dream has become a reality, with over 4,300 exoplanets confirmed. Join us to learn about this journey!
NGSS Standards
Activity Links
- Where are the Distant Worlds? (Ages 10+)
- Planet Hunters TESS (Ages 12+)
Water Worlds and Diamond Planets - February 10 at 3pm
Among the thousands of exoplanets that have been discovered, we've found quite a variety of different types! Some are enormous, hot planets circling extremely close to their host stars. Others fall within the "habitable zone" where liquid water could exist and might be Earth-like. There have even been planets that are thought to be made of diamond! Learn about the wide variety of exoplanets that are out there.
NGSS Standards
Activity Links
- Paper Mache Planets (Ages 4+)
How Do We Find Them? - February 17 at 3pm
The vast majority of exoplanets we've discovered have not actually been seen directly. If planets around other distant stars are so hard to take pictures of, then how do we know that they're there?
NGSS Standards
Activity Links
- Exploring Exoplanets with Kepler (Ages 11+)
- Exoplanet finder game (Ages 11+)
- Light Curve building activity (Ages 13+)
What the Future Holds - February 24 at 3pm
Exoplanet research is just beginning, and there's so much more we can expect to learn about in the coming years. With the expected launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, what can we hope to learn next? How will our search for life in the universe continue?
NGSS Standards
- PS4.B: Electromagnetic Radiation
- LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms (Extension)
Activity Links
- Exploring the Universe: Imaginging Life (Ages 4+)
- Using Light to Study Planets (Ages 11 - 16)
