**Remarkable Discovery by Young Intern: New Planet Found at NASA**<\/p>\n
During the summer of 2019, Wolf Cukier, a high school intern at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center, achieved a monumental discovery while analyzing data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) project. Tasked with reviewing flagged data concerning eclipsing binaries\u2014stellar systems that eclipse each other from the viewpoint of Earth\u2014Cukier spotted something atypical in the data associated with a system designated TOI 1338.<\/p>\n
Initially believing he had identified a stellar eclipse, Cukier’s examination uncovered that it was, in fact, a circumbinary planet, a unique type that orbits both stars in the system rather than just one. Dubbed TOI 1338 b, this planet represented TESS’s inaugural discovery of such a body since its inception in 2018. Found 1,300 light-years away in the constellation Pictor, TOI 1338 b is approximately 6.9 times the size of Earth, similar in dimensions to the space between Neptune and Saturn.<\/p>\n
TESS employs four cameras to survey segments of the sky every 30 minutes for a duration of 27 days each, specifically designed to pinpoint thousands of eclipsing binaries. However, TOI 1338 b’s irregular transit behavior, caused by its orbit around two moving stars, presented a challenge for the algorithms that are typically used to identify fixed signals. Cukier’s vigilance emphasized the crucial role of human analysis in detecting intricate data patterns that automated systems often overlook.<\/p>\n
The TOI 1338 system consists of two stars: one slightly larger than our Sun and another that is fainter, orbiting one another every 15 days. The planet itself completes an orbit around this binary pair every 93 to 95 days. The discovery of this planet holds significance not only for its scientific importance but also as a demonstration of the influence of citizen science and the meticulous efforts of committed individuals in furthering astronomical research.<\/p>\n
Cukier’s tenure at NASA motivated him to study astrophysical sciences at Princeton University, furthering his research journey and contributing to our comprehension of the universe. His narrative highlights the considerable impact a vigilant observer can have, even within just a few days of dedicated work at NASA, and it inspires citizen scientists everywhere to stay curious and attentive to the data they encounter. TOI 1338 b stands as a testament to the potential discoveries that lie within the collaborative endeavors of humans and technology in the realm of space exploration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
**Remarkable Discovery by Young Intern: New Planet Found at NASA** During the summer of 2019, Wolf Cukier, a high school intern at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center, achieved a monumental discovery while analyzing data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) project. Tasked with reviewing flagged data concerning eclipsing binaries\u2014stellar systems that eclipse each other […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":376508,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[179],"class_list":["post-376507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-source-scienceblog-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=376507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376507\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/376508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=376507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=376507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=376507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}