2 , New Exoplanets, Found by Citizen Scientists.
The discovery was published in
'Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.'.
The gaseous planets,
called planet b and planet c, .
were found orbiting
a star known as HD 152843
352 light-years from Earth.
Planets b and c are about 3.4 times and
5.8 times larger than our planet, respectively. .
The citizen scientists were able
to contribute by participating in
Planet Hunters TESS, a NASA-funded project.
Planet Hunters TESS consists of over 29,000 people who search for planets outside of our solar system using data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission.
Though neither of the planets are likely able to support life, they provide more information about what's outside of our solar system.
We're taking baby steps towards the direction of finding an Earth-like planet and studying its atmosphere, and continue to push the boundaries of what we can see, Nora Eisner, a doctoral student in astrophysics at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and lead author of the study, via statement