Identify the data and the question
See this course’s project requirements
A small exoplanet-signal investigation with a graph, depth and period calculations, a NASA archive comparison and an evidence-based report.
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.
Want more background?
The idea in everyday life
The supplied transit-practice.csv is an original synthetic teaching fixture, not NASA observations and not a new planet discovery. It contains 20 time/brightness pairs over 0–8 days. Use free LibreOffice Calc; a calculator and paper graph also work.
A scientific claim depends on where data came from, what was measured and what the units mean.
Identify the data and the question — guided practice
Distinguish a practice signal from a telescope observation.
The supplied transit-practice.csv is an original synthetic teaching fixture, not NASA observations and not a new planet discovery. It contains 20 time/brightness pairs over 0–8 days. Use free LibreOffice Calc; a calculator and paper graph also work.
Original synthetic light curve
Paste at A1.
| Atime_days | Brelative_flux |
|---|---|
| 0 | 1.001 |
| 0.25 | 0.999 |
| 0.5 | 1 |
| 0.75 | 0.995 |
| 1 | 0.99 |
| 1.25 | 0.995 |
| 1.5 | 1 |
| 2 | 1.001 |
| 3 | 0.999 |
| 3.75 | 0.995 |
| 4 | 0.99 |
| 4.25 | 0.995 |
| 4.5 | 1 |
| 5 | 1.001 |
| 6 | 0.999 |
| 6.75 | 0.995 |
| 7 | 0.99 |
| 7.25 | 0.995 |
| 7.5 | 1 |
| 8 | 1 |
Copy as plain text
1. Write a focused question
Create investigation-notes.txt. Write: Does the synthetic light curve contain repeated brightness dips, and what approximate depth and spacing do they have?
You should see: The question asks about a measurable pattern.
A pattern question can be answered before making a claim about its cause.
2. Record provenance
Write creator: Life Starter original practice fixture; object: fictional; time unit: days from an arbitrary zero; brightness: relative flux with baseline near 1. Add that the sampling is uneven.
You should see: The data note cannot be mistaken for a NASA observing record.
Provenance prevents a teaching example from acquiring false authority.
3. Identify the columns
Read the table. At time 1 day, relative flux is 0.990. At time 2 days, it is 1.001. Explain that these are ratios, not temperature or distance.
You should see: A smaller flux ratio means less recorded light in this model.
Column labels and units define what a number can support.
4. Separate observation and interpretation
Write observation: some values fall below the baseline. Write possible interpretation: a transit-like event. Keep the latter provisional because noise, instrument effects or other variable objects can also change measured light.
You should see: The note separates the visible pattern from its proposed explanation.
A plausible cause is not established by naming it.
What to finish
A question, provenance note and correctly interpreted columns.
Watch for this
Labeling the synthetic fixture as NASA observations.
How can I tell I understand it?
Explain the result, reproduce the procedure, and complete the changed-input check.
Quick knowledge check
Answer all 3 questions. Get at least 2 right and the lesson completes automatically.
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Answer all 3 questions above and get at least 2 right. You can review the explanations and try again.
Go to the knowledge checkOptional course overview video
NASA | Alien Atmospheres
From NASA Goddard. Watch here or open it on YouTube .
Optional course overview. Follow the written steps below at your own pace.Tools, templates, and lesson sources
Tools and templates
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Sources and further reading
Explore the references behind this lesson.
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12
Read transit, radial-velocity and spectroscopy explanations; course makes no current planet-count claim.
Access: Public reading without a paid account; reviewed September 12, 2026.
Reuse: Link only. Lessons and practice assets are original; free access does not grant permission to copy the provider's material.
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12
Read primary visualization description of planetary transit and brightness changes; animations linked, not copied.
Access: Public reading without a paid account; reviewed September 12, 2026.
Reuse: Link only. Lessons and practice assets are original; free access does not grant permission to copy the provider's material.
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12
Read archive holdings, data types, original literature links and public tools. No live table operation or data download is claimed.
Access: Public reading without a paid account; reviewed September 12, 2026.
Reuse: Link only. Lessons and practice assets are original; free access does not grant permission to copy the provider's material.
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12
Read distinctions among public planet, candidate and survey data resources. The course light curve is explicitly original synthetic data.
Access: Public reading without a paid account; reviewed September 12, 2026.
Reuse: Link only. Lessons and practice assets are original; free access does not grant permission to copy the provider's material.
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