Craft your own exoplanet system bracelet

How do you showcase planetary system architecture at public events, in a fun, simple, interactive and engaging way, while producing a durable impact? 

This was the premise that led us to develop the concept of "Make your own exoplanet system bracelet". 

The pitch is simple: natural stones come in a plethora of textures, many of which, once turned into spherical beads, are very evocative of the looks of planets. In the world of stone beads, obsidian mahogany becomes Mars-like planets, apatite beads are lush water-covered worlds, tiger eyes are Jupiters with beautiful stripes and storms, or pyrites are the metal-rich Mercury for instance.

In this activity, the public is going to use the natural stone beads to build their own exoplanetary system. They have access to a large quantity of beads, of all sizes and textures. First, they are invited to pick up their host star, of different colours to teach the spectral types of stars and their relation to the size and mass of the star. Next, they can choose a few planets, up to 6 or 7: a great opportunity for them to learn the zoology of exoplanet classification, from Mercury- or Mars-like planets, to inflated hot-Jupiters, passing by Earth-like, super-Earths, sub-Neptunes and Neptune-like. Participants also have the opportunity to pick a tiny moon to orbit a Jupiter, or an asteroid belt represented by a lava rock bead.

Once they have selected the content of their system, they can seat at a table to craft their bracelets, using small black glass beads to represent the void of space between the planets in their system. This last step will let them explore under a scientist guidance, the various possible architectures of exoplanet systems, such as ordered, anti-ordered or "peas in a pod" configurations, as well as concept such as Titus-Bode law, resonant systems displaying an even-spacing of their planets, or compact systems. 

At the end, participants leave with their system around their wrist, and will always be reminded of the diversity of exoplanets and system architectures: every time they have a look at their precious bracelet. 

 

We will try to arrange for session participants to have an opportunity to craft themselves their bracelet during the presentation. 

This image presents a photomontage mock-up of the concept which will be experimented with the public for the first time at the Fantasy Basel event in May 2025.