“Since I was a kid, I was into space and astronomy. Recently I have also discovered passion for 3D printing, that allowed me to bring to life astronomy related projects. In this Instructable, I will show you how to make a model of a Star system with planets, and the principle of Exoplanet detection using transit method.
Kepler telescope finds planets by looking for tiny dips in the brightness of a star, when a planet crosses in front of it (transit across the star). Thanks to that method astronomers discovered many stars with exoplanets. Quite few of them are Earth type planets.
I have designed and made a model of star with two exoplanets which move independently. Then I made a detector (which is a crude equivalent of Keppler telescope apparatus), so you can take readings and learn about transit method yourself.
Supplies:- 2 x Arduino Nano
- 2 x 9V battery
- 2 x 9V battery clip
- BYJ48 with ULN2003 stepper motor
- Arduino SD card module
- Micro SD card (FAT32 format)
- 15mm LDR (light dependant resistor)
- 20k potentiometer
- 4.7k potentiometer
- Push button
- 2 x Mini on/off slide switch
- Equipment wire
- PLA
- Solder
- Super glue
- 3 x large washers
- Cocktails sticks
Tools:
- 3D printer
- Wire cutters
- Screwdriver
- Soldering iron
Software:
- Cura
- Arduino IDE”