Day 17 of Banneker Institute

I finish processing the data, and now I have the histograms of the final parameters. Below I am showing the histograms of the ratio of the radius of the planets and the host star. I also have histograms for the density of the star, the mid time of the transits, and the periods of the orbits.

"It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get."
 
-Confucius

Day 16 of Banneker Institute

After uploading the data files of the unfolded light curves of the planets. I started to run the software in my advisor's computer, Dr. David Kipping. Now I just need to wait until the data is analysed and then I can make histogram plots of the resulting parameters.

"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence."
 
-Confucius

Day 15 of Banneker Institute

This post is a day behind, but I had to make sure that the data was properly analysed. Below are my new plots of the outlier points, and the three folded light curves of the individual planets.

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment."
 
-Jim Rohn

Day 14 of Banneker Institute

I recalculated the number of bad points, aka outliers, from my data by using the normal distribution function.

 Where w is the number of sigma needed to remove 1 - 1/3366 data points, where 3366 is the number of data points in my raw data. I also recalculated the error bar of my light curves, and created to text files for each individual planet that includes the time, the unfolded flux, and the error bar. The next step is to import this files and then run the program that will calculate the eccentricity of the planets.

“Science is a way of life. Science is a perspective. Science is the process that takes us from confusion to understanding in a manner that's precise, predictive and reliable - a transformation, for those lucky enough to experience it, that is empowering and emotional.”

-Brian Greene

Day 13 of Banneker Institute

Today was mainly on reviewing the statistics of the data as well as looking the program that I'll used to measure the eccentricity of the planets in my system. This is the beginning of the very unintuitive and difficult stage of the project, and most likely the longest.

“Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

-Lao Tzu

Day 12 of Banneker Institute

Today I basically just try to improve the statistics involving my data. This includes the mathematics used to remove the outliers from my data, and the error bars on my data. I didn't get far but progress is not measure in big chunks.

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”

-Frederick Douglass

Day 11 of Banneker Institute

After a lot of hard work, I finally fix my Python code and separated the planetary light curves. The error was in the folding of the data without the outliers. Below are the plots of the original data without the outliers, and the light curves of each individual planet.

“Always seek out the seed of triumph in every adversity.” 

-Og Mandino

Day 10 of Banneker Institute

Today I added a new tool to my arsenal, GitHub, IPython Notebook, and PyCharm. Now I just need to learn how to use them. Hopefully this will make me more productive in my scientific research. Science is an art form that requires many tools, a lot of creativity, and most of all passion.

“Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you're passionate about something, then you're more willing to take risks.”

-Yo-Yo Ma

Day 9 of Banneker Institute

Zero progress made today. I need to figure out the way to tell my python program to separate the light curves of the individual planets. I am getting a very strange looking light curve, that resembles the probability pattern of light after passing through two tiny slits.

“If you get stuck, draw with a different pen. Change your tools; it may free your thinking.”
 
-Paul Arden

Day 8 of Banneker Institute

After realizing my error in my python code, I managed to fix it and properly identify the data points inside the transits and outside the transits. As shown in the following plot.

From this I was able to find the correct outliers. As you might have noticed the plot below looks a lot more like the original data, than the plot presented in my previous post. The data points are not all blended together, but are properly marked without changing their location. Now my next task is to separate the light curves of the individual planets.

"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."
 
-John Quincy Adams

Day 7 of Banneker Institute

Today after a long day of programming, I have realized that my code is faulty. Specifically the piece of code that makes a list of the in transit points and out of transit points. So the following plot is incorrect!!!

I noticed this error in my code after attempting to separate the planet's light curves and folding them. Luckily I noticed my mistake early, before having over 500 lines of Python code. My next task is to review my code for any other error, and figure out how to properly separate the planetary light curves.


"Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward."

-Henry Ford

Day 6 of Banneker Institute

After a week working on the planetary system EPIC 201367065, I have realized that data analysis and preparing the data so it can be studied, is an extremely difficult task, but a necessary one. I started with the normalized light curves of Planet b, c, and d.

This peculiar looking light curve was obtained by the Kepler 2 telescope, all of the individual light curves the planets are overlapping. To separate this light curves I used the technique named "Folding" a complicated conceptual method, with a simple mathematical equation.

time is the Julian Date

tmid is the time at the centre of the transit

P is the orbital period

 From this folded light curves I obtained the out of transit points and the points in transit for further analysis. With the out od transit points I removed the outliers.

This was a lot of work, but I learned a lot from all the struggles that I had to faced.

“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one."

-Bruce Lee

Introduction Post

This post is meant for those that possess an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, like myself. I will be describing my journey as I attempt to understand how this universe that we are all part of works.

My main focus for the next few weeks will be on my current project, under the guidance of Dr. David Kipping, and the Banneker Institute. The aim is to calculate the eccentricity of the planetary system EPIC 201367065, the name is a work in progress. I will be describing my struggles and my achievements as I embark on this gargantuan task, and as I strive for excellence.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

-Aristotle