Observing the Moon, Asteroids, and Exoplanets within the Pan African Citizen Science E-Lab

OBSERVING THE MOON, ASTEROIDS, AND EXOPLANETS WITHIN THE PAN AFRICAN CITIZEN SCIENCE E-LAB. Daniel Ayorinde Obajemu1; Miracle Chibuzor Marcel2, 1Harvest Intercontinental American University, 6th Street , Sinkor, Monrovia, Liberia, [email protected]; 2Pan-African Citizen Science e-Lab, Abuja, Nigeria, miracle.c.[email protected]m. Introduction: Until the foundation of the PanAfrican Citizen Science e-Lab [1], there have been limited opportunities to explore the cosmos in Liberia, my home country. The PACS e-Lab, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing STEM education across Africa, engages young people across Africa in hands-on activities in planetary science and astronomy. I participate in several of their projects, including asteroid, exoplanet, and lunar observations. Observing the Moon: Through joining the PACS e-Lab, I had the opportunity to utilize their robotic telescope proposal on Slooh’s network of robotic telescopes [2]. This network includes facilities at the Teide Observatory in Tenerife, operated in partnership with the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands. This access allows me to engage directly in observational astronomy, focusing on lunar observation. My current focus is on observing the Moon’s seven primary phases. By capturing nightly images, I can track the progression of lunar phases throughout the cycle, much like Galileo Galilei did in 1610. Utilizing Slooh’s high-resolution telescopes, I am compiling a photographic gallery of the Moon’s phases and have already captured three phases: Full Moon, Waxing Gibbous, and First Quarter. I look forward to capturing the remaining four phases. Observing Asteroids: During the November-December 2023 asteroid search campaign [3], I discovered an asteroid, 2023 VR18, which contributed to NASA’s planetary defense project. This discovery was a result of analysing a data set provided by PanSTARRS and CSS accessed from the IASC website during the campaign and I submitted a report to IASC for verification of which was classiflied as a provisional discovery after a year of further investigation. Overall, the PACS e-Lab study engages citizen scientists like myself in NASA’s Planetary Defense program to monitor and track asteroids, including those with potential Earth/Moon impact risks. Through a PACS e-Lab partnership with the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) [3], citizen scientists across Africa contribute by hosting monthly asteroid search campaigns. This research utilizes Astrometrica, a software developed by IASC, to analyze images from professional telescopes including the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) at the University of Hawaii and the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) at the University of Arizona, to detect asteroid motion, and submit reports to the IASC for verification. Observing Explanets: I also observe exoplanets using the Exoplanet Transit Interpretation Code (EXOTIC) code [5] to photometrically analyze exoplanet observational data. These analyses contribute to the refinement of parameters for previously discovered exoplanets, providing valuable information for planned observations by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. For my work, I use robotic telescopes including the 0.4 m Las Cumbres Observatory [6] and the 0.15 m MicroObservatory, a network of small robotic telescopes operated by the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics [4]. To date, I have observed and contributed to orbital refinements for over 10 exoplanets. Conclusions: The PACS e-Lab provides students across Africa, like myself, with unique and exciting opportunities to explore the cosmos. References: [1] Pan-African Citizen Science e-Lab: https://pacselab.space; [2] Slooh Roboctic Telescope: www.slooh.com; [3] IASC Campaign: http://iasc.cosmosearch.org/; [4] MicroObservatory: https://waps.cfa.harvard.edu/microobservatory/; [5] NASA Exoplanet Watch: https://exoplanet.nasa.gov/exoplanet-watch/about-exoplanetwatch/overview/ ; [6] Las Cumbres Observatory: https://lco.global/ ;