Planter Hunter

[SoulFrenzy]

Ok is this PlanetHunters.org for real? I surely hope so cause in some kinda self inflicted torture I keep staring at white dots looking for transit features. I understand that maybe one in a million may actually have a planter orbiting the star. But for some reason I can't stop myself. Is it a waste of time? :confused:

[Mr Q]

As I understand it, observers use ccd imaging devices to measure the very slight variations in a star's brightness, which would indicate a planet orbiting around it and so occulting it on a regular basis. Perhaps thousands have been discovered in recent years. Sorry, you wouldn't be able to see the planet directly.

[JB80]

Is it a waste of time? :confused:

Absolutely not. Mind you it's a great way to kill off any productivity or a slow period at work.

It's amazingly addictive.

But yeah, the basics behind it is to trawel through the Kepler data because the computers can't always see the patterns as good as a human can. At the end of the day you will be given credit if you do identify a planet.

It can be tricky though.

[cptdavep]

I've spent a bit of time on it. It gets quite hypnotic going through page after page of normal stars, but occasionally you do see something which will get you excited! Plus some of the stars show very cool variability and I also saw one which was an eclipsing binary where they crossed each other daily, makes for a very cool graph!

[JB80]

What annoys me most is just when you think you have spotted something 99.9% of the time it's a simulated planet or Kepler favourite, still it gets you going for a minute.

Actually what annoys me most is when you get a simulated planet and then it asks you 'if you spotted it?'

To which my answer is often 'There was a planet there?

[182570]

to be honest I get fed up with it after 10-15 mins,much rather they put up potential planets so you have something to compare with,instead of relying on your own inexperience in the hope that you find something,and I'm fed up of that "did you spot that one" need to improve the whole format for me.