Astronomy Club

University of Arizona

Exoplanet Project

The University of Arizona Astronomy Club has had an active research project in the field of exoplanet study for multiple years; please see a summary of past iterations of the project here.

This year, 2015/2016, We will be using the U of A’s Kuiper 61″ telescope on Mt. Lemmon to explore transiting exoplanets. We will use photometric methods to calculate better parameters on known transiting exoplanets, explore Rayleigh scattering in the atmosphere and possibly detect the presence of molecular hydrogen and/or water in the atmosphere of various exoplanets. We will learn methods of observing exoplanets using photometry as well as data reduction methods.

For more information, contact:

Project Lead: Ryleigh Fitzpatrick, fitzpatrickm@email.arizona.edu
Project Advisor: Dr. Caitlin Griffith, griffith@lpl.arizona.edu