Exploring Exoplanet Atmospheres


Wednesday, 23 August 2023 11 a.m. — noon MST

Online event

Star Educators
Justine Schaen, Rob Sparks (NSF's NOIRLab)
Registration: https://ghou2023.handsonuniverse.org/registration/

NSF’s NOIRLab’s Teen Astronomy Café – To Go! program brings the excitement of scientific discovery to students around the world by providing them with an opportunity to explore real astronomical data using the same tools as astronomers. Students explore phenomena such as black holes, exoplanet atmospheres, and gravitational lensing using Python Notebooks. Each topic includes educator resources and provides strategies for implementing the activities in the classroom. No coding background is required and the materials are scaffolded to engage all learners. The next generation of telescopes will have state-of-the-art capabilities that will advance the detection of exoplanets while searching for biosignatures in their atmospheres that could indicate the presence of life. This workshop will introduce educators to the free program, the logistics of incorporating the resources into any educational setting, and provide a hands-on experience as we analyze lightcurves and explore exoplanet atmospheres.