Tau Ceti
The Problem
Recently, it was announced that an international team of astronomers discovered that Tau Ceti, one of the closest and most Sun-like stars, might host five planets. This discovery is highly significant because one of the planets, a “super-Earth” referred to as Tau Ceti e, might be located inside the famed Goldilocks Zone. At a distance of twelve light years, Tau Ceti is the closest single star that has the same spectral classification as our Sun. Its five planets are estimated to have masses between two and six times the mass of the Earth, making it the lowest-mass planetary system yet detected. While the Tau Ceti announcement is exciting, critics of the announcement contend that journalists and bloggers, in their haste to report the existence of the star’s orbiting five planets, may have misrepresented the facts. Critics of the Tau Ceti media reports assert that the actual study indicates that the scientists who conducted the research reported the detection of five very small signals that might be planets. The scientists, according to the actual study, are certain beyond a reasonable doubt that the signals exist; however, they are uncertain about the signals’ planetary origin. Further analysis is needed to confirm the existence of the five worlds that might be in orbit around Tau Ceti.
Mission Deliverable
Your mission is to produce a publishable investigative news report that probes (digs deeper) into the prolific media coverage of the five planets that might be in orbit around Tau Ceti.
Guiding Question
What is the information that is missing from the mainstream media coverage of Tau Ceti?
Related Career Roles
Research the career roles listed below that are related to the Mission Deliverable and the Guiding Question. Your goal is to learn about the primary responsibilities of these related career roles. Be prepared to discuss how people in the related career roles listed below would accomplish the Mission Deliverable:
• Astronomer
• Astrophysicist
• Cosmologist
• Astrobiologist
• Science Journalist/Blogger
Recently, it was announced that an international team of astronomers discovered that Tau Ceti, one of the closest and most Sun-like stars, might host five planets. This discovery is highly significant because one of the planets, a “super-Earth” referred to as Tau Ceti e, might be located inside the famed Goldilocks Zone. At a distance of twelve light years, Tau Ceti is the closest single star that has the same spectral classification as our Sun. Its five planets are estimated to have masses between two and six times the mass of the Earth, making it the lowest-mass planetary system yet detected. While the Tau Ceti announcement is exciting, critics of the announcement contend that journalists and bloggers, in their haste to report the existence of the star’s orbiting five planets, may have misrepresented the facts. Critics of the Tau Ceti media reports assert that the actual study indicates that the scientists who conducted the research reported the detection of five very small signals that might be planets. The scientists, according to the actual study, are certain beyond a reasonable doubt that the signals exist; however, they are uncertain about the signals’ planetary origin. Further analysis is needed to confirm the existence of the five worlds that might be in orbit around Tau Ceti.
Mission Deliverable
Your mission is to produce a publishable investigative news report that probes (digs deeper) into the prolific media coverage of the five planets that might be in orbit around Tau Ceti.
Guiding Question
What is the information that is missing from the mainstream media coverage of Tau Ceti?
Related Career Roles
Research the career roles listed below that are related to the Mission Deliverable and the Guiding Question. Your goal is to learn about the primary responsibilities of these related career roles. Be prepared to discuss how people in the related career roles listed below would accomplish the Mission Deliverable:
• Astronomer
• Astrophysicist
• Cosmologist
• Astrobiologist
• Science Journalist/Blogger