Current Events Lesson Plan: May 5-11, 2016
Current Event: New Planetary Neighbors
Scientists recently announced that the space telescope Kepler detected over 1,200 more planets orbiting other stars, nearly double the amount previously known. Scientists refer to planets beyond our solar system as extrasolar planets or exoplanets. The telescope watched many stars simultaneously for small changes in brightness that might be caused by a passing planet. Kepler’s main goal was to find small, rocky planets that orbit within their star’s habitable zone. In this region, temperatures allow for the existence of liquid water, which many scientists think is essential for life. The scientists developed a method to statistically analyze the likelihood that a promising return from Kepler could be caused by something other than an exoplanet, such as another star. Rather than use new observations, the team looked at over 4,000 objects of interest previously identified by the telescope. Of those objects, 1,284 were confirmed to be exoplanets (not counting the 984 already confirmed by other methods). Of the 1,284 newly discovered exoplanets, over 500 could potentially be rocky planets like Earth and Mars. Of these, nine orbit in their star’s habitable zone. In the future, astronomers will use even more powerful telescopes to determine whether these exoplanets have life on them.
Objective:
Kepler is a space-based telescope originally designed to search for Earth-sized planets orbiting sunlike stars. Kepler is named for Johannes Kepler, the German astronomer who discovered the laws of planetary motion. The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched Kepler in March 2009, and the telescope began making observations 2 months later. The mission was originally planned for 3 ½ years of observation, but in April 2012, it was extended through 2016. However, the telescope ceased planet-hunting operations in May 2013 after the malfunction of a second of four wheels used to steady the telescope. Without the third axis of control provided by three functioning wheels, the telescope could not permanently hold steady on one spot in the sky, thereby ending its primary mission. Astronomers had previously found many exoplanets using ground-based telescopes. Because Kepler’s observations are free of the distorting effects of Earth’s atmosphere, Kepler could detect smaller planets orbiting farther from their stars. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore various topics in astronomy and space exploration.
Words to know:
- Astronomy
- Johannes Kepler
- Kepler
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- Planet
- Space exploration
- Telescope
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students if they can name the eight planets in the solar system. (The eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. There are also 5 dwarf planets—Ceres, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and Pluto.)
2. Ask your students to name some famous scientists. (Students might name George Washington Carver, Nicolaus Copernicus, Marie Curie, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Galileo, Stephen Hawking, Johannes Kepler, Gregor Mendel, Sir Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur, Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson.)
3. Ask your students if they believe that there is life on other planets.
4. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the Advances in Astronomy timeline. (Students may wish to use World Book’s “Astronomy” article for help.)