ARIEL: the future of exoplanets and how amateurs can get involved ~ Ms Anastasia Kokori: University College London

ARIEL is a space mission led by the European Space Agency, planned to lunch in 2029. It will be the first dedicated mission to measure the chemical composition of many exoplanets. The key science questions ARIEL will address are:

- What are exoplanets made of?
- How do planets and planetary systems form?
- How do planets and their atmospheres evolve over time?

Understanding worlds beyond the Earth is a key issue for humanity and it concerns everyone, not only the scientific communities. We strongly believe that research and science is an effort that everyone can take part in.

ARIEL will observe around 1000 transiting exoplanets and for this survey to be as efficient as possible, we need to have a good knowledge of the expected transit time of the planets observed. This is where small and medium-scale telescopes can contribute significantly. To better organise this effort, we have created the project ExoClock that is open to everyone, professional and amateur astronomers as well as members of the public can get involved and contribute to the mission.