Speaker 1: Welcome to Bedtime Astronomy. Explore the wonders of the cosmos
Speaker 1: with our soothing Bedtime Astronomy podcast. Each episode offers a
Speaker 1: gentle journey through the stars, planets, and beyond. Perfect for
Speaker 1: unwinding after a long day. Let's travel through the mysteries
Speaker 1: of the universe as you drift off into a peaceful
Speaker 1: slumber under the night sky. PLATO mission unveiling new worlds
Speaker 1: beyond Earth. The PLATO Planetary Transits and Oscillations of Stars
Speaker 1: mission is one of the European Space Agencies esa most
Speaker 1: ambitious and exciting endeavors in the field of exoplanet research.
Speaker 1: Scheduled for launch in twenty twenty six, PLATO aims to
Speaker 1: address some of the most profound questions about our universe.
Speaker 1: Are there other habitable worlds like Earth? What are the
Speaker 1: conditions necessary for life? How common are planets in our
Speaker 1: galaxy that could support life. To answer these questions, PLATO
Speaker 1: will utilize a suite of twenty six telescopes and cameras
Speaker 1: to search for exoplanets and study their host stars with
Speaker 1: unprecedented precision. The primary objective of the PLATO mission is
Speaker 1: to detect and characterize exoplanets particularly those in the habitable
Speaker 1: zone of their parent stars, the region around a star
Speaker 1: where conditions could be suitable for liquid water to exist
Speaker 1: on a planet's surface. Unlike many previous missions, PLATO is
Speaker 1: designed to find Earth sized and super Earth sized planets
Speaker 1: orbiting some like stars. These planets are of particular interest
Speaker 1: because they are the most likely candidates to host life
Speaker 1: as we know. It will also focus on bright stars,
Speaker 1: which allows for follow up observations with ground based telescopes
Speaker 1: to confirm and further study the discovered exoplanets. One of
Speaker 1: the key techniques PLATO will use to find exoplanets is
Speaker 1: the transit method. This method involves monitoring the brightness of
Speaker 1: stars over time and looking for periodic dimming that occurs
Speaker 1: when a planet passes or transits in front of its
Speaker 1: host star. By measuring the amount of dimming and the
Speaker 1: duration of the transit, scientists can determine the size of
Speaker 1: the planet and its orbital period. But transit method is
Speaker 1: particularly powerful because it not only reveals the presence of
Speaker 1: a planet, but also provides information about its size and orbit,
Speaker 1: which are crucial for assessing its potential habitability. Plato's array
Speaker 1: of time telescopes will allow it to monitor a large
Speaker 1: number of stars, simultaneously increasing the chances of detecting transiting planets.
Speaker 1: The mission will target relatively bright stars, making it easier
Speaker 1: to perform follow up observations from the ground. This multi
Speaker 1: telescope approach is innovative and enhances the mission's ability to
Speaker 1: detect smaller Earth sized planets that are more challenging to
Speaker 1: find than larger gas giants. Each of Plato's telescopes will
Speaker 1: observe the same field of view, combining their light gathering
Speaker 1: power to achieve the high precision needed to detect the
Speaker 1: tiny dimming caused by Earth sized planets. In addition to
Speaker 1: finding exoplanets, Plato will also study the host stars themselves
Speaker 1: through a technique known as asteroseismology. Asteroseismology involves measuring oscillations
Speaker 1: or starquakes on the surface of stars. These oscillations cause
Speaker 1: variations in the star's brightness that can be detected by
Speaker 1: Plato's sensitive instruments. By analyzing these variations, scientists can gain
Speaker 1: detailed information about the star's internal structure, composition, and evolutionary state.
Speaker 1: This information is crucial for understanding the properties of the
Speaker 1: exoplanets orbiting these stars because of planet's characteristics are closely
Speaker 1: linked to those of its host star. The combination of
Speaker 1: exoplanet detection and astero seismology makes PLATO a powerful tool
Speaker 1: for studying planetary systems in great detail. By characterizing both
Speaker 1: the planets and their host stars, PLATO will provide a
Speaker 1: comprehensive picture of these systems, helping to identify those that
Speaker 1: are most similar to our own Solar system. This, in turn,
Speaker 1: will inform our understanding of how common Earth like planets
Speaker 1: are in the galaxy and the likelihood of finding other
Speaker 1: habitable worlds. Plato's mission design includes a planned operational lifetime
Speaker 1: of at least four years, with the possibility of extensions
Speaker 1: depending on its success and the health of the spacecraft.
Speaker 1: During this time, PLATO will serve a two main regions
Speaker 1: of the sky, a long duration field and a step
Speaker 1: aanstair field. The long duration field will be observed continuously
Speaker 1: for two to three years, allowing PLATO to detect planets
Speaker 1: with longer orbital periods, including those in the habitable zone
Speaker 1: of some like stars. The stepananstair field will involve shorter
Speaker 1: observations of different regions of the sky, providing a broader
Speaker 1: survey of stellar populations and increasing the overall number of
Speaker 1: stars observed. One of the significant advantages of Plato's approach
Speaker 1: is its ability to detect and study planets in a
Speaker 1: variety of stellar environments. By observing different regions of the sky,
Speaker 1: Plato will sample stars with a wide range of ages, compositions,
Speaker 1: and masses. This diversity will help scientists understand how planetary
Speaker 1: systems form and evolve over time, and how different stellar
Speaker 1: environments influence the likelihood of planet formation and the potential
Speaker 1: for habitability. Plato's data will be invaluable for follow up
Speaker 1: studies with other space based and ground based observatories. For instance,
Speaker 1: once a planet candidate is identified by Plato, its hosts
Speaker 1: can be observed with radial velocity instruments to confirm the
Speaker 1: planet's existence and measure its mass. The combination of transit
Speaker 1: and radial velocity data will provide a complete picture of
Speaker 1: the planet size, mass, and density, allowing scientists to infer
Speaker 1: its composition and internal structure. This detailed characterization is essential
Speaker 1: for assessing the planet's potential habitability. Moreover, Plato's discoveries will
Speaker 1: be prime targets for future missions designed to study exoplanet atmospheres,
Speaker 1: such as the James Web Space Telescope JWST and the
Speaker 1: Atmospheric Remote Sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large Survey AERIAL. By analyzing
Speaker 1: the light that passes through a planet's atmosphere during a transit,
Speaker 1: these telescopes can identify the chemical compoty position of the
Speaker 1: atmosphere and search for signs of habitability or even biosignatures
Speaker 1: indicators of life. Plato's role in identifying the best targets
Speaker 1: for these follow up observations will be critical for advancing
Speaker 1: our search for life beyond Earth. The PLATO mission represents
Speaker 1: a significant leap forward in our ability to find and
Speaker 1: study exoplanets. Its innovative design and advanced technology will enable
Speaker 1: it to detect smaller planets and characterize their host stars
Speaker 1: with unprecedented precision. The missions focus on bright stars and
Speaker 1: earthlike planets makes it particularly exciting for the search for
Speaker 1: habitable worlds. By expanding our knowledge of exoplanets and their environments,
Speaker 1: PLATO will help answer fundamental questions about the prevalence of
Speaker 1: habitable planets in our galley and the potential for life
Speaker 1: elsewhere in the universe. The scientific community and the general
Speaker 1: public eagerly anticipate the launch of the PLATO mission. Its
Speaker 1: discoveries have the potential to transform our understanding of planetary
Speaker 1: systems and the conditions necessary for life. The mission's contributions
Speaker 1: to exoplanet science will be profound, laying the groundwork for
Speaker 1: future explorations and potentially leading to one of the most
Speaker 1: significant discoveries in human history, the detection of life beyond Earth.
Speaker 1: In conclusion, the platomission embodies the spirit of exploration and
Speaker 1: discovery that drives humanity's quest to understand our place in
Speaker 1: the universe. Through its innovative approach to exoplanet detection and
Speaker 1: stellar characterization, PLATO will provide unprecedented insights into the diversity
Speaker 1: and properties of planetary systems. The missions focus on Earth
Speaker 1: like planets and habitable zones is particularly compelling as it
Speaker 1: brings us closer to finding other worlds that could support life.
Speaker 1: As we look to the future, the data and discoveries
Speaker 1: from PLATO will guide our efforts in exploring the cosmos
Speaker 1: and searching for signs of life beyond our planets. Before