Project Description: Astronomers have discovered over 5,800 exoplanets orbiting other stars outside the solar system. Some of these planets orbit their stars so closely that they are rapidly losing their atmospheres to space. If the host planet is a small rocky body, they can spew large clouds of dust as they disintegrate that form a long tail ahead and/or behind the planet. A recent discovery of a relatively nearby disintegrating system BD +05 4868 Ab is especially ripe for characterization because it is relatively nearby and bright. https://astrobites.org/2025/01/22/disintegrating_exoplanet/
The Space Grant intern will aid in observing this system with world-class facilities on the ground and/or space, as conditions allow. We are after some basic information about the dust and its composition - How big are the particles? What are they made of? The underlying planet is also a mystery: we want to find out how big it is and whether it might look more like the core, mantle, or crust of the Earth.
NASA Relevance: This project will use NASA facilities (conditions allowing) for astronomical science, supporting existing discoveries of NASA's JWST and TESS missions and our exploration of rocky worlds.
Work Description: The Space Grant intern will be primarily analyzing images from world-class observatories. This will include:
- Telescope proposal preparation (depending on experience level by October)
- Processing astronomical data
- Python analysis in repositories and notebooks
- Light curve analysis
- Running Bayesian statistics tools
- (Depending on conditions) Remote or in-person observing
Open or Reserved Project: Open, 2 positions