{"id":430450,"date":"2024-03-18T02:20:49","date_gmt":"2024-03-18T00:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/osr.org\/?p=430450"},"modified":"2024-04-25T21:48:51","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T19:48:51","slug":"what-is-plato","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/news-en-uk\/what-is-plato\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is PLATO?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we gaze into the vast expanse of the cosmos, our curiosity about what lies beyond our solar system intensifies. Enter PLATO, a mission set to broaden our understanding of the universe and potentially uncover evidence of life beyond Earth.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #15acdf;\">What Is the PLATO Mission?<\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"container-lazyload preview-lazyload container-youtube js-lazyload--not-loaded\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/1bkVv49jidc?si=830qIsOxxd_pvo72\" class=\"lazy-load-youtube preview-lazyload preview-youtube\" data-video-title=\"PLATO Spacecraft\" title=\"Play video &quot;PLATO Spacecraft&quot;\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/1bkVv49jidc?si=830qIsOxxd_pvo72<\/a><noscript>Video can&#8217;t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/1bkVv49jidc?si=830qIsOxxd_pvo72\" title=\"PLATO Spacecraft\">PLATO Spacecraft (https:\/\/youtu.be\/1bkVv49jidc?si=830qIsOxxd_pvo72)<\/a><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/platomission.com\/summary\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PLATO<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) is a forthcoming mission being developed by the European Space Agency. Scheduled to launch in 2026, the mission aims to identify and examine exoplanets, with a focus on rocky terrestrial planets orbiting <a href=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/astronomy-uk\/what-is-a-star\/\">stars<\/a> similar to our sun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To achieve this, PLATO will utilise the most extensive digital camera system ever deployed in space to gather light from 26 compact telescopes. These telescopes will observe over one million stars simultaneously, searching for tiny dips in brightness that occur when an exoplanet passes in front of its star.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #15acdf;\">What Are Exoplanets?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-430452\" title=\"What Is an Exoplanet\" src=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/What-Is-an-Exoplanet.jpg\" alt=\"What Is an Exoplanet\" width=\"758\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/What-Is-an-Exoplanet.jpg 758w, https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/What-Is-an-Exoplanet-300x184.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/What-Is-an-Exoplanet-640x393.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 758px) 100vw, 758px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/news-en-uk\/have-we-just-found-signs-of-life-on-exoplanet-k2-18b\/\">Exoplanets<\/a> are planets that orbit stars outside our solar system. They come in various sizes and orbits &#8211; some within the so-called habitable zone of their host stars, where conditions may be suitable for life to exist.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The discovery of exoplanets has opened up an entirely new field of study, providing insight into the diversity and complexity of planetary systems beyond our own. The PLATO mission aims to expand this knowledge even further, potentially uncovering the tantalising possibility of habitable exoplanets.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #15acdf;\">How Will PLATO Work?<\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_430515\" style=\"width: 768px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-430515\" class=\"size-full wp-image-430515\" title=\"How Will PLATO Work\" src=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/How-Will-PLATO-Work.jpg\" alt=\"How Will PLATO Work\" width=\"758\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/How-Will-PLATO-Work.jpg 758w, https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/How-Will-PLATO-Work-300x184.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/How-Will-PLATO-Work-640x393.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 758px) 100vw, 758px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-430515\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><p class=\"caption-text\">Credit: ESA\/OHB<\/p><\/figure> Credit: ESA\/OHB<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The PLATO spacecraft will take up position at the Sun-Earth L2 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lagrange_point#\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lagrange point<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, approximately 1.5 million kilometres from Earth. From this vantage point, it will continuously monitor a large portion of the sky for at least four years. During this time, the mission&#8217;s telescopes will observe and collect data on exoplanet transits, as well as the oscillations of stars caused by the gravitational pull of orbiting planets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The data collected by PLATO will allow scientists to identify exoplanets and gather information about their size, mass, and orbit. Additionally, the mission will also be able to measure the oscillations of stars, helping us understand how planets form and evolve in different environments.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #15acdf;\">What Are the Objectives of PLATO?<\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_430536\" style=\"width: 768px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-430536\" class=\"size-full wp-image-430536\" title=\"PLATO Space Telescope\" src=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/PLATO-Space-Telescope.jpeg\" alt=\"PLATO Space Telescope\" width=\"758\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/PLATO-Space-Telescope.jpeg 758w, https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/PLATO-Space-Telescope-300x184.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/PLATO-Space-Telescope-640x393.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 758px) 100vw, 758px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-430536\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><p class=\"caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Plato_2022.jpg\">ESA<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/3.0\/igo\/deed.en\">CC BY 3.0 IGO<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p><\/figure> <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Plato_2022.jpg\">ESA<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/3.0\/igo\/deed.en\">CC BY 3.0 IGO<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PLATO&#8217;s objectives extend beyond merely discovering exoplanets. It aims to characterise these planets&#8217; host stars and understand the planets&#8217; frequency and characteristics using the transit method and asteroseismology. One of its key goals is to significantly enhance our understanding of planetary systems&#8217; origin and evolution. The mission also aims to identify and study Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone of their stars, where liquid water could potentially exist on the surface.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, PLATO&#8217;s scope is not limited to exoplanets. It will also observe other phenomena, such as stellar activity and variability, eclipsing <a href=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/astronomy-uk\/what-are-binary-star-systems\/\">binaries<\/a>, and gravitational microlensing events. This allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the <a href=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/astronomy-uk\/is-the-universe-infinite\/\">universe<\/a> and its many wonders.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #15acdf;\">What Is the European Space Agency?<\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_430473\" style=\"width: 768px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-430473\" class=\"size-full wp-image-430473\" title=\"What Is the European Space Agency\" src=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/What-Is-the-European-Space-Agency.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"758\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/What-Is-the-European-Space-Agency.jpg 758w, https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/What-Is-the-European-Space-Agency-300x184.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/What-Is-the-European-Space-Agency-640x393.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 758px) 100vw, 758px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-430473\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><p class=\"caption-text\">ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher standing in front of the ESA Headquarters in Paris, France.\r\n\r\nCREDIT: ESA - D. Dos Santos<\/p><\/figure> ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher standing in front of the ESA Headquarters in Paris, France.<br \/>CREDIT: ESA &#8211; D. Dos Santos<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/ESA_Multimedia\/Videos\/2019\/11\/This_is_ESA\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">European Space Agency<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (ESA) is an international organisation dedicated to space exploration. It&#8217;s responsible for numerous missions that have expanded our knowledge of the universe. ESA&#8217;s Cosmic Vision programme, which includes the PLATO mission, is one of its many pioneering initiatives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With its headquarters in Paris, France, ESA consists of 22 member states across Europe. Despite its name, ESA also collaborates with countries outside of Europe, including the United States and Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #15acdf;\">Will PLATO Find Evidence of Life Beyond Earth?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-430494\" title=\"PLATO and SETI\" src=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/PLATO-and-SETI.jpg\" alt=\"PLATO and SETI\" width=\"758\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/PLATO-and-SETI.jpg 758w, https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/PLATO-and-SETI-300x184.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/PLATO-and-SETI-640x393.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 758px) 100vw, 758px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While PLATO&#8217;s primary purpose isn&#8217;t to find <a href=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/osrguide\/what-is-seti\/\">extraterrestrial life<\/a>, its mission could bring us closer to answering this age-old question. By studying terrestrial exoplanets in the habitable zone of solar-type stars, PLATO may discover planets with conditions suitable for life as we know it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nevertheless, finding evidence of life beyond Earth is a complex and ongoing endeavour that requires the collaborative efforts of multiple missions and scientific disciplines. PLATO&#8217;s role in this pursuit is crucial, but it&#8217;s only one piece of the puzzle.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #15acdf;\">OSR Star Finder<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-240300\" title=\"OSR Star Finder App\" src=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/OSR-Star-Finder-App.jpg\" alt=\"OSR Star Finder App\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/OSR-Star-Finder-App.jpg 720w, https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/OSR-Star-Finder-App-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/OSR-Star-Finder-App-640x427.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The PLATO mission represents a significant step forward in our quest to understand the universe. Its findings could redefine our understanding of planetary systems and potentially reveal life-sustaining planets beyond our solar system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you ready to explore the stars from the comfort of your backyard? Then check out OSR&#8217;s Star Finder App and start your celestial journey today!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"button button-orange medium arrow\" href=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/osrguide\/star-finder-app\/\">Star Finder App<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As we gaze into the vast expanse of the cosmos, our curiosity about what lies beyond our solar system intensifies. Enter PLATO, a mission set to broaden our understanding of the universe and potentially uncover evidence of life beyond Earth. What Is the PLATO Mission? PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) is a forthcoming [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1373],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-430450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-en-uk"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Is PLATO? - Online Star Register<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this article, we&#039;ll take a closer look at the science and objectives behind the ESA&#039;s upcoming exoplanet-hunting PLATO mission.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/news-en-uk\/what-is-plato\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Is PLATO?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In this article, we&#039;ll take a closer look at the science and objectives behind the ESA&#039;s upcoming exoplanet-hunting PLATO mission.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/news-en-uk\/what-is-plato\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Online Star Register\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-18T00:20:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-25T19:48:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/PLATO-Space-Telescope.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"758\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"466\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sebastian Wolf\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"What Is PLATO?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"In this article, we&#039;ll take a closer look at the science and objectives behind the ESA&#039;s upcoming exoplanet-hunting PLATO mission.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/PLATO-Space-Telescope.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sebastian Wolf\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/news-en-uk\/what-is-plato\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/news-en-uk\/what-is-plato\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"Sebastian Wolf\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/#\/schema\/person\/64c4e8743579b229f87b1d3de0090348\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"What Is PLATO?\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2024-03-18T00:20:49+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2024-04-25T19:48:51+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/news-en-uk\/what-is-plato\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 760,\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/news-en-uk\/what-is-plato\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\/\/osr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/What-Is-an-Exoplanet.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"News\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-UK\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/news-en-uk\/what-is-plato\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/news-en-uk\/what-is-plato\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"What Is PLATO? 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