The position of stars are defined by 2 co-ordinates. Point your arm at the star in question. The angle between the horizon and your arm is the ascension (ie RA or α). Second and last step, the angle between where you are pointing and the North Star - this is the declination (ie DEC or δ).  There are many fine videos on YouTube explaining the celestial coordinates.

Let's look at the Kepler FOV map below. Let's pick an object in the FOV. How about the first Kepler planet called Kepler-4b.

RA = 19 02 28
DEC = 50 08 09

Now put this in the FORM below. Clink on the "Find Location" button - and let's see what the algorithm returns.

The diagram below shows how NASA has labelled the Kepler Field of View "squares". Each of the 21 squares maps to a pair of CCD chips on the space craft - and 4 "channels" of "video". So think of it as 84 webcams.
- or 84 channels as NASA reminds us. Later you will learn how we are dividing each of these channels into 8*5 (ie 40 sectors). This gives us 3,360 sectors which will be allocated - one sector per school team.

The myKepler team has given each of the 3,360 sectors a number (an ID)  with the format :  xxyz   (ie 0223)

Where xx is the channel (1-84); y is the row (0-7) and z is the column (0-4)

Using the browser tool we call the Kepler Exoplanet Explorer (built upon the World-Wide Telescope SDK and available at the end of August 2010), let's look at Sector 2923 (IRAN) : Note  each sector is named after a country/state on earth. In this case we know 2923  is IRAN.

Below you can see 29 23 (ie 2923) - Channel 29 Row 2; Column 3. It is where the crosshairs are.  The whole square enclosed in a yellow border is Channel 29.

Note : Row 0 Column 0 is top left corner :-)

2923 is the sector in the third row and 4th column.

 

 

Now we zoom into this area of sky and stop when the whole sector fills the screen. The crosshairs are inside sector 2923.

 

 

The custodians of this sector are the students in Tehran at Zaferanieh Educational Observatory (ZEO). They will focus some time on studying this sector (2923).  As this bright star   (KIC8345951) is predominant in Sector 2923 they have "internally" dubbed the star Al-Sufi after the great, ancient Persian astronomer. As I have mentioned to them, Al-Sufi deserves an even MORE prominent star - perhaps the first one where a habitable planet is found. Perhaps this will happen.

Any other schools wishing to participate should register on the Home Page.