Nunca Digas Nunca

So you think you found an exoplanet – a planet around another star? It’s not as simple as pointing a telescope to the sky and looking for a planet that waves back. Scientists gather many observations and carefully analyze their data before they can be even somewhat sure that they’ve discovered new worlds.

Here are 10 things to know about finding and confirming exoplanets.

This is an illustration of the different elements in our exoplanet program, including ground-based observatories, like the W. M. Keck Observatory, and space-based observatories like Hubble, Spitzer, Kepler, TESS, James Webb Space Telescope, WFIRST and future missions.

1. Pick your tool to take a look.

The vast majority of planets around other stars have been found through the transit method so far. This technique involves monitoring the amount of light that a star gives off over time, and looking for dips in brightness that may indicate an orbiting planet passing in front of the star.

We have two specialized exoplanet-hunting telescopes scanning the sky for new planets right now – Kepler and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) – and they both work this way. Other methods of finding exoplanets include radial velocity (looking for a “wobble” in a star’s position caused by a planet’s gravity), direct imaging (blocking the light of the star to see the planet) and microlensing (watching for events where a star passes in front of another star, and the gravity of the first star acts as a lens).

Here’s more about finding exoplanets.

2. Get the data.

To find a planet, scientists need to get data from telescopes, whether those telescopes are in space or on the ground. But telescopes don’t capture photos of planets with nametags. Instead, telescopes designed for the transit method show us how brightly thousands of stars are shining over time. TESS, which launched in April and just began collecting science data, beams its stellar observations back to Earth through our Deep Space Network, and then scientists get to work.

3. Scan the data for planets.

Researchers combing through TESS data are looking for those transit events that could indicate planets around other stars. If the star’s light lessens by the same amount on a regular basis – for example, every 10 days – this may indicate a planet with an orbital period (or “year”) of 10 days. The standard requirement for planet candidates from TESS is at least two transits – that is, two equal dips in brightness from the same star.

4. Make sure the planet signature couldn’t be something else.

Not all dips in a star’s brightness are caused by transiting planets. There may be another object – such as a companion star, a group of asteroids, a cloud of dust or a failed star called a brown dwarf, that makes a regular trip around the target star. There could also be something funky going on with the telescope’s behavior, how it delivered the data, or other “artifacts” in data that just aren’t planets. Scientists must rule out all non-planet options to the best of their ability before moving forward.

5. Follow up with a second detection method.

Finding the same planet candidate using two different techniques is a strong sign that the planet exists, and is the standard for “confirming” a planet. That’s why a vast network of ground-based telescopes will be looking for the same planet candidates that TESS discovers. It is also possible that TESS will spot a planet candidate already detected by another telescope in the past. With these combined observations, the planet could then be confirmed. The first planet TESS discovered, Pi Mensae c, orbits a star previously observed with the radial-velocity method on the ground. Scientists compared the TESS data and the radial-velocity data from that star to confirm the presence of planet “c.”

Scientists using the radial-velocity detection method see a star’s wobble caused by a planet’s gravity, and can rule out other kinds of objects such as companion stars. Radial-velocity detection also allows scientists to calculate the mass of the planet.

6. …or at least another telescope.

Other space telescopes may also be used to help confirm exoplanets, characterize them and even discover additional planets around the same stars. If the planet is detected by the same method, but by two different telescopes, and has received enough scrutiny that the scientists are more than 99 percent sure it’s a planet, it is said to be “validated” instead of “confirmed.”

7. Write a paper.

After thoroughly analyzing the data, and running tests to make sure that their result still looks like the signature of a planet, scientists write a formal paper describing their findings. Using the transit method, they can also report the size of the planet. The planet’s radius is related to how much light it blocks from the star, as well as the size of the star itself. The scientists then submit the study to a journal.

8. Wait for peer review.

Scientific journals have a rigorous peer review process. This means scientific experts not involved in the study review it and make sure the findings look sound. The peer-reviewers may have questions or suggestions for the scientists. When everyone agrees on a version of the study, it gets published.

9. Publish the study.

When the study is published, scientists can officially say they have found a new planet. This may still not be the end of the story, however. For example, the TRAPPIST telescope in Chile first thought they had discovered three Earth-size planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system. When our Spitzer Space Telescope and other ground-based telescopes followed up, they found that one of the original reported planets (the original TRAPPIST-1d) did not exist, but they discovered five others –bringing the total up to seven wondrous rocky worlds.

10. Catalog and celebrate – and look closer if you can!

Confirmed planets get added to our official catalog. So far, Kepler has sent back the biggest bounty of confirmed exoplanets of any telescope – more than 2,600 to date. TESS, which just began its planet search, is expected to discover many thousands more. Ground-based follow-up will help determine if these planets are gaseous or rocky, and possibly more about their atmospheres. The forthcoming James Webb Space Telescope will be able to take a deeper look at the atmospheres of the most interesting TESS discoveries.

Scientists sometimes even uncover planets with the help of people like you: exoplanet K2-138 was discovered through citizen scientists in Kepler’s K2 mission data. Based on surveys so far, scientists calculate that almost every star in the Milky Way should have at least one planet. That makes billions more, waiting to be found! Stay up to date with our latest discoveries using this exoplanet counter.

💫 MIENAR’S COMMISSIONS NOW OPEN! 💫

hello, my loves! it’s miena here! i’ve decided to finally open my commissions!! :) all information regarding my terms, rules, commission questions, payments, types of works that i can offer to you are all listed here: mienar’s commission info

you can see my artworks here!

interested in commissioning? you can contact me through my email: [email protected]

basic information regarding the commissions are listed under the cut!

paypal only! payments are to be done through invoices

currency: USD

full payments upfront (if you prefer to pay only half first, i’ll do as much as the half price is worth, and only continue until the remaining half is paid)

✅ what i will draw: interiors, buildings, nature, hints of a person, streets, (anything that isn’t in the ‘what i won’t draw’)

❌ what i won’t draw: faces, full bodies, animals, fanart, skyscrapers, heavy fantasy settings, vehicles (except bicycles), mythology-related, astrology/zodiacs/etc.

modifications/revisions are allowed at certain stages. (read the extended commission info document provided above for more details)

you can ask for progress updates at any stage of the commission

i have the right to decline your commission

[!] Lineart-only commission type: discontinued, new ‘Semi-Realistic and Ambient Environment’ commission type has been added. (Sept ‘18-)

Berkeley Garages by Ian Wood

Ian Wood started noticing all types of garages and decided to document them in this project. Since then he has found several hundred that are just a little “different.” Some are crumbling, some are painted over in colorful homemade murals, some are drowning in lush ivy. All say “Berkeley” in their own way.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency H-IIB rocket is zooming toward the International Space Station carrying NASA’s Life Sciences Glovebox, a state-of-the-art microgravity research facility.

JAXA’s HTV3, taken during Expedition 32

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and their partners around the world are excited to initiate new, high-value biological research in low-Earth orbit.

The Japanese rocket, hauling the research facility and other cargo via the HTV-7 transfer vehicle, successfully lifted off at 1:52 p.m. EDT from Tanegashima Space Center off the coast of Japan.

Its launch marks a first for hauling bulky equipment to space. Roughly the size of a large fish tank, the Life Sciences Glovebox comes in at 26 inches high, 35 inches wide and 24 inches deep, with 15 cubic feet of available workspace.

“The Life Sciences Glovebox is on its way to the space station to enable a host of biological and physiological studies, including new research into microgravity’s long-term impact on the human body,” said Yancy Young, project manager at Marshall. “This versatile facility not only will help us better protect human explorers on long voyages into deep space, but it could aid medical and scientific advances benefiting the whole world.”

Boeing engineers at Marshall modified a refrigerator-freezer rack to house the core facility, using state-of-the-art, 3D-printing technology to custom design key pieces of the rack to secure the unit in its protective foam clamshell.

NASA is now determining the roster of science investigations lined up to make use of the facility, beginning as early as late 2018. “We’ve already got more than a dozen glovebox experiments scheduled in 2019, with many more to follow,” said Chris Butler, payload integration manager for the glovebox at Marshall.

The Life Sciences Glovebox will be transferred to a zero-gravity stowage rack in the station’s Kibo module, where up to two crew members can conduct experiments simultaneously, overseen in real-time by project researchers on Earth.

Check out more pictures of the Glovebox HERE!

in a daze

ESCUCHA EL DISCO COMPLETO

LANAVE - LANAVE EP

Este es el primer EP del grupo canario LANAVE, un trio de rock formado por Alejandro Aguilar (voz, guitarras, teclados y programación), José María Pérez (batería) y Samuel Peña (bajo y voz). El grupo lo presentó el 18 de mayo de 2018. Se trata de un proyecto sólido y muy trabajado que se ha publicado a través del sello El Hombre Bala Records y que puedes escuchar en su totalidad aquí. Un fantástico disco gestado en Lanzarote por unos músicos que, aunque no son debutantes, sí comienzan una nueva andadura con esta nueva banda que nos ha encantado.

Tracklist:

Será perfecto así 

Todo 

Al otro lado 

Esperaré aquí 

Quién 

Hazte Lapón - El Desencanto

El último y veraniego sencillo de Hazte Lapón, Cuento de Verano (interludio), contiene en su cara B esta singular versión de Encantadora, uno de los temas del que fue su álbum de debut. En esta ocasión, la simpática melodía del grupo madrileño toma aires electrónicos para transformarse en una de las mejores canciones del que será su nuevo disco. Una delicia. 

Letra:

El mundo camina de puntillas por lo lineal Aterrado de miedo Como en las reglas de lo inconsciente Ahora lo real es una cosa y su opuesto Y pienso que Ahora ya no sé que va a pasar Todo el universo Parece mermelada sideral, Torpe y espeso Ahora ya no sé que va a pasar Todo el universo Parece caminar a su pesar Pide un receso Hemos despertado de la siesta En el salón Aturdidos y perplejos No sé cuantos años han pasado quizá un eón Todo queda muy lejos, muy lejos Y pienso que Ahora ya no sé que va a pasar Todo el universo Se estira como un chicle hasta su fin Se vuelve un hilo tenso Ahora ya no sé que va a pasar Todo el universo Se da la vuelta como un calcetín Y muestra su reverso Ahora todo está partido en trozos La realidad es un rebaño sin dueño ¿Quién va reparar este desastre? Mejor despertar, todo ha sido un sueño, un sueño, un sueño Y pienso qué, Ahora ya no sé que va a pasar Todo el universo Parece decido a no seguir Su propio trayecto Ahora ya no sé que va a pasar Todo el universo Cansado de fluir quiere pedir Un tiempo muerto Y entonces aparecen Miles de manchas Y motas de polvo Que campan a sus anchas Que brillan y hacen Del salón un sito extraño Que rompen la continuidad del tiempo y del espacio Y entonces aparecen Miles de machas Y motas de polvo, Y restos de galaxias Que abren a su paso Agujeros de gusano Poniendo en entredicho Los ejes cartesianos

altered carbon ♢ 1x02: fallen angel

silent rain