Global Sky Partners

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Exoplanet Watch is a citizen science project to observe transiting exoplanets — planets outside our solar system — with small telescopes. A transiting exoplanet is one that periodically passes in front of its host star, causing the star to slightly dim (by about 1%). Observing exoplanet transits is important, as they allow us to directly measure a planet's radius and composition. Ground based follow up allows us to better constrain the planet’s period which allows for better mass measurements. Exoplanet Watch will help increase the efficiency of exoplanet studies by large telescopes to characterize exoplanet atmospheres by reducing uncertainty about the predicted timing of transit events.