1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,968
[Playful music throughout]

2
00:00:02,035 --> 00:00:05,005
[Many stars, including our own Sun, are polka dotted.]

3
00:00:06,706 --> 00:00:11,144
[Now scientists have a new tool that can help
map a star’s spots using orbiting planets.]

4
00:00:14,147 --> 00:00:19,853
[When a planet passes in front of its star, the star’s light dims.]

5
00:00:21,654 --> 00:00:26,593
[Missions like NASA’s TESS can track the star’s brightness as it changes.]

6
00:00:28,161 --> 00:00:33,533
[If a planet doesn’t cross over a spot, the star’s brightness follows a smooth curve.]

7
00:00:36,202 --> 00:00:43,276
[If the planet does cross a spot, there’s an extra dip within the curve.]

8
00:00:44,911 --> 00:00:51,451
[The more spots a planet crosses, the more jagged the curve becomes.]

9
00:00:54,287 --> 00:01:01,327
[The new tool, StarryStarryProcess, uses these curves to determine how many spots the star might have, where they are, and other factors.]

10
00:01:03,430 --> 00:01:08,768
[Stellar activity like star spots can both change a planet’s atmosphere and make it difficult to measure.]

11
00:01:10,837 --> 00:01:15,875
[Missions like NASA’s upcoming Pandora can use tools like this one to study stars and their planets]

12
00:01:17,610 --> 00:01:22,048
[as we continue to explore our universe.]

13
00:01:22,916 --> 00:01:27,053
[NASA]