Course 138 · Digital course 28

Investigate Exoplanet Signals

Plot an original practice light curve, measure repeated dips and learn how NASA archive evidence differs from a signal alone.

Before you start

Use free LibreOffice Calc on a desktop, or a calculator and paper graph. Know percentages, averages and square roots; review basic spreadsheet skills if needed. No Python, telescope, data-request wait or account is required.

See everything you’ll need

Practice materials and a worked example · Free download. Download the starter pack

What you’ll leave with

A small exoplanet-signal investigation with a graph, depth and period calculations, a NASA archive comparison and an evidence-based report.

Start course Start without an account. Sign in to save lesson progress across devices.

Your project

Start with the practice files. Build your project one lesson at a time.

Practice files are free without an account. Sign in to save your project record in My Proof: a description, checklist, and optional work link. Keep the original files in your own app or notebook; saving a project record does not upload them.

Get your materialsDownload practice filesStart with the supplied materials, follow the lessons, and compare your work with the annotated example.
Make your projectView the project checklist Work in your own notebook, document, or software. Use the supplied practice examples when you prefer.
Keep a private recordSave a project record Sign in to save a description and checklist, then return to update them.

Optional course overview

Watch an introduction.

This overview from NASA Goddard introduces ideas you’ll practice in the lessons.

Watch directly on YouTube

NASA GoddardNASA | Alien AtmospheresYouTube

Course handbook

Know the route before you begin.

Here’s what you’ll need and what you’ll make. You can return to this guide during any lesson.

Who this is for

Learners ages 14+ who want practical creative and technical skills.

Prepare before lesson one

Use free LibreOffice Calc on a desktop, or a calculator and paper graph. Know percentages, averages and square roots; review basic spreadsheet skills if needed. No Python, telescope, data-request wait or account is required.
The supplied light curve is original synthetic practice data. NASA public pages provide the scientific context and archive comparison. Setup and optional video time are additional.

Your final project

Finish with proof you can use.

A small exoplanet-signal investigation with a graph, depth and period calculations, a NASA archive comparison and an evidence-based report.

Save a project record in My Proof

See project checklist and review criteria

Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.

What to include

A provenance note that clearly labels the synthetic fixture.
A 20-point XY chart with correct time and relative-flux labels.
Checked baseline, depth, radius-ratio approximation and period calculations.
A comparison of detected signals, candidates and archive records.
Input CSV, working calculations, graph and short report with limits.

Review and revise

Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.

The plotted values and units agree with the fixture.
The calculations can be reproduced from stated inputs.
Synthetic, observed and predicted information are distinguished.
The conclusion stays within the supplied evidence.

Three ideas to help you along the way

Three useful ideas

The rules behind the steps.

Name the evidence

Record the source, units and status of each dataset.

Measure before inferring

Separate plotted patterns from their possible causes.

Keep the limits visible

State assumptions and label predictions explicitly.

What do these words mean?

Key words

Key terms worth knowing.

Light curve: A record of measured brightness over time.
Relative flux: Brightness expressed as a ratio to a reference level.
Transit depth: The fraction of baseline light missing during a dip.
Period: The interval between corresponding stages of a repeated event.
Candidate: An object or signal that may need more evidence before confirmation.

Your route

6 lessons.
One useful project.

Work in order the first time. Each lesson makes something the next lesson can use.

Use the tools

Tools to help you practice.

See all tools

ZIP · practice files

Investigate Exoplanet Signals practice files

Start with the supplied materials, follow the lessons, and compare your work with the annotated example.

Text worksheet

Your course project worksheet

A downloadable text worksheet with each lesson’s working output, space for your answers, and the shared final-project checklist. Save your own copy.

Source transparency

Sources and further study.

Explore the references behind the lessons and take your learning further. Source notes explain access and reuse.

NASA: How we find and characterize exoplanets