DIY Planet Search is a project of the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard & Smithsonian that allows members of the general public to get involved in the hunt for exoplanets. Participants control telescopes in the CfA’s MicroObservatory Robotic Telescope Network through their web browsers, using them to locate potential exoplanets without having to travel to remote locations or buy expensive equipment.

In this workshop, participants will use the DIY Planet Search interface to collaboratively generate a light curve from observed data whilst learning about transit photometry of exoplanets along the way. After this, the group will be invited to brainstorm potential pathways (and the resources and scaffolding that would support pathways) from this introductory exoplanet photometry experience to more sophisticated exoplanet data analysis projects.