Citizen science collaboration produces precise data on exoplanet WASP-77 A b

A planet wobbles in front of its star, dimming the star’s light that we see. These kinds of events, called transits, give us a wealth of information about exoplanets, or planets that orbit stars other than the Sun. But it can be hard to predict when these special events will happen… unless you have the help of volunteers.

Fortunately, a collaboration between several teams of amateur planet hunters, led by researcher Federico R. Noguer of Arizona State University and researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), has risen to the challenge. This collaboration has published the most precise physical and orbital parameters to date for a prominent exoplanet called WASP-77 A b. These precise parameters help predict future transit events and are essential for planning spacecraft observations and precise atmospheric modeling.

The research is published in the journal Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

“As a retired dentist and now a citizen scientist for Exoplanet Watch, research opportunities like this give me a way to learn and contribute to this incredibly exciting field of astrophysics,” said Anthony Norris, a citizen scientist working on the Exoplanet Watch project.

The study combined amateur astronomy and citizen science data from the Exoplanet Watch and ExoClock projects, as well as the Exoplanet Transit database. It also incorporated data from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and the La Silla Observatory.

Exoplanet Watch invites volunteers to participate in exoplanet research, either by using their own telescopes to observe exoplanets or by analyzing data collected by others. Another recent article details how the Exoplanet Watch team helped validate a new exoplanet candidate.

WASP-77 A b is a gas giant exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star. It is only 20% larger than Jupiter. But that is where the similarities with our solar system end. This hot ball of gas orbits right next to its star, more than 200 times closer to its star than our Jupiter.