Exoplanets Vertical Video

“Artist’s concept” appears in the upper right corner throughout. 0:00 A cartoon version of NASA’s TESS observing a star-filled sky. TESS has a six sided main body with two solar array “wings,” each extending out from the sides of the satellite. We see one end of the body. The far end has a cone opening toward the stars. The stars are dots of various sizes in white, red, and blue. One star near the center is a diamond shape with long spikes. It is bright white with orange edges. 0:05 The view cuts to TESS’s cameras nestled inside the cone on the end of the body. Inside are four squares, each pointing in a slightly different direction. 0:08 Switch back to the starry sky, with the orange diamond star near the center. The camera zooms in slightly. 0:10 Return to the wider view showing TESS observing the star in the distance. 0:11 The scene flashes twice between the close up of TESS’s cameras and the star. 0:13 Back to the wider view, and after a moment, the star shrinks slightly then returns to its original size. This represents a small dip in the starlight that could signal a planet passing in front of the star. 0:14 A thought bubble reading “Gotcha!!” appears from TESS.

On a dark, starry background, an artist’s concept of a brown exoplanet labeled “Gliese 12 b” is split into three equal wedges by thin white lines. The left half of the planet is illuminated, while the right side is in shadow. The three representations rotate counterclockwise, shifting between the light and dark sides. The interpretation labeled “no atmosphere” has a mottled brown surface with streaks and craters. The interpretation labeled “thin atmosphere” is covered in a translucent layer which slightly blurs the surface. Finally, the interpretation labeled “thick atmosphere” has a hazy layer which obscures the planet’s features and lightens it to a pale tan. The video is watermarked “Artist’s concept.”