Big Ideas - Episode 13 - Search For New Planets

The video discusses the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a NASA project aimed at exploring distant galaxies and the early universe. It highlights the Worldwide Telescope software by Microsoft, which allows users to explore space through high-resolution images from various telescopes. The software includes features like Earth and Planets Mode, offering 3D models and panoramas. The video also covers the discovery of planets using the gravitational microlensing technique, a method that leverages the gravitational bending of light to find planets similar in size to Earth.

What is the primary mission of the James Webb Space Telescope?

• To explore the surface of Mars

• To find the first galaxies formed in the early universe

• To monitor Earth's weather patterns

• To study the rings of Saturn

Which company developed the Worldwide Telescope program?

• Google

• Apple

• Microsoft

• NASA

What is the main feature of the Sky mode in the Worldwide Telescope?

• Viewing high-quality images of outer space

• Viewing 3D models of planets

• Simulating weather patterns

• Exploring the ocean depths

Which celestial bodies can be viewed in 3D models in the Planets mode?

• Only Earth and Mars

• Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and some of Jupiter's moons

• All planets in the solar system

• Only the Moon

What technique did astronomers use to discover a planet similar in size to Earth?

• X-ray imaging

• Gravitational microlensing

• Radio wave analysis

• Infrared scanning

What is the gravitational microlensing technique used for?

• Mapping the surface of the Moon

• Detecting black holes

• Finding small planets with masses and orbits similar to Earth

• Measuring the speed of light

Which observatory has been searching for planets using the gravitational microlensing technique?

• European Southern Observatory

• Chandra X-ray Observatory

• Spitzer Space Telescope

• Hubble Space Telescope