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exoplanet badge for kepler 452b. Teal space background with an image of kepler telescope and a tan exoplanet.

Background Information

Mass team icon. Orange gradient in the shape of james webb titled Mass.

Send the following message in the chat. 

“My name is _____ and I am the Mass team member.” 

Unmute yourself and read the message out loud to ensure that it has been received by your teammates. Follow the same procedure for all other messages you send throughout the mission. 

 
image of a scientist
Hi there! I’m Tessa, a scientist who recently submitted a proposal to the James Webb team. I’ll be popping up throughout the mission with helpful tips and advice.

Review the following materials to get background information on key concepts you will use throughout the mission. Please watch and read everything in its entirety. This will not cause you to fall behind your other team members.
You will be using many different units throughout your calculations. Review the following image for an outline of some of the units you will be using. Using Earth and Solar units help scientists visualize exoplanets and their host stars more easily. Try picturing a planet with a mass of about 5.9 x 1024 kg. Now try picturing a planet with a mass close to that of Earth. Which one is easier to imagine?
Earth Units Units based on the characteristics of our planet Earth We use Earth units to express other planets' - mass - radius - period Astronomers use this symbol to represent Earth! Solar Units Units based on the characteristics of our star the sun We use Solar units to express other stars' - mass - radius Astronomers use this symbol to represent the sun!

Density Introduction

density icon. Purple background with tightly packed molecules.
Based on the video, please complete the following checkpoint about density.

Density Checkpoint

image of a scientist
Our goal is to find the density of the exoplanet. This is why your team will be working to find the planet's mass.
density equals mass divided by volume
image of a scientist
Oh! By the way, during the mission, you will receive requests for information from your team members. If you have already calculated the piece of information they are looking for, share it with your teammate in the chat. If you are not ready yet, send the following message in the chat.

"Request received. Information not yet available."

Then, send the information in the chat as soon as it is available.
image of a scientist

Great job! You’re ready to do background research on some other key concepts you will need during this mission.