13th February 2010:
A live Astro-cast of the EXTRASOLAR PLANET XO-3b transit
Unique in side view to
behind the observatory scenes
On 13th February 2010, we will webcast (weather permitting)
the transit of an extra solar planet named "XO-3b".
The event will be observed using a
highly sophisticated robotic telescope and a sensitive cooled CCD camera.
The event will be broadcast on the
web from the Bareket observatory's remote EDU Internet telescope, located in
Israel. www.bareket-astro.com
The observatory will transfer live images of the transit as they're
being captured by the Bareket Internet EDU scope,
while plotting its light curve through the site as the transit progress.(see
further details below)
This truly amazing process will give students and the general
pubic a unique in side view to behind the observatory scenes, while
presenting to the viewers how science is being done – all in real time.
This project is a part of the Bareket observatory Live-@stro outreach
programs.
The event will take about 2 hours in duration, scheduled to take place
at
13th February 2010 19:00UTC (21:00 local Israel
time)
– a dedicated clock available on the webcast
page
The web cast page can be seen at:
http://www.bareket-astro.com/live/transit_xo-3b/cast.html
European
server:
http://live-internet-telescope.com/live/transit_xo-3b/cast.html
Image - The planet XO-3b, and the star XO-3 positions.
Credit : DSS survey
XO Project
Transit Photometry
The American Association of Variable Star
Observers (AAVSO)
is collaborating with Bareket Observatory on variable-object studies, of which
transiting exoplanets are a key element. AAVSO have calibrated nearby
stars in each of the known transiting exoplanet systems to act as local
standards against which you can compare the host star for variability. AAVSO
are also working with the XO project team to study other variable stars that
they have discovered during their exoplanet survey. Exoplanet transits
are hard to detect, since the dip is only one percent or so in brightness, but
with care, any amateur observer with a CCD camera can watch the transit of a
planet around another star.
Searching for extra solar planets by detecting their
transit is well within the possibilities of many today's Earth based
observatories.
A transit means – that the extra solar planet acts very
similar like Venus, in our own solar system, when it passes in front of our Sun
(in a direct geometrical line between the sun and the Earth), featuring a
"mini eclipse".
Image - Venus transit; moving in between the Sun and Earth.
Credit : Bareket observatory
Watch the Venus transit – 1st and 2nd
contact time lapse:
http://bareket-astro.com/photofiles/img/transit.html
While Venus can be easily observed against the solar
disc, the extended XO-3b planet only presented as a dim singular dot in the
sky.
While it's total brightness only slightly vary during the
extra solar planet transit, for a relatively short period of time.
The drop in the brightness is proportional to the
planet’s surface.
Usually within a 1% for a gaseous giant (Such as Jupiter)
and as low as 0.01% for an Earth–sized planet.
You're welcome to join us in this extra-solar quest!
http://www.bareket-astro.com/live/transit_xo-3b/cast.html
European
server:
http://live-internet-telescope.com/live/transit_xo-3b/cast.html
About the
subject of study [XO-3b] :
A massive (Mpsini= 13.02±0.64 MJ; total mass 13.25±0.64
MJ),
large (1.95 ± 0.16 RJ) planet in a transiting, eccentric
orbit (e = 0.260 ± 0.017) around a 10th magnitude F5V star in the
constellation Camelopardalis.
The planet XO-3b, and the star XO-3, also known as GSC
03727-01064. The orbital period of XO-3b is 3.1915426±0.00014 days.
Further
details:
Bareket observatory EDU Internet telescope
http://bareket-astro.com/en/telescope_internet.htm
Latest IYA2009 projects -
·
DSO (deep space objects) Web cast –
Astronomical year 2009 project. For those who are blind to!
·
Astronomical year 2009 official
project – 100 hours of robotic astronomy.
·
RR lyrae stars pulsating stars in
M3- over two nights
·
Outreach
activities at the
Bareket observatory, Israel
