scholarly journals Looking towards the detection of exoearths with SuperWASP

2006 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-186
Author(s):  
R.A. Street ◽  
D.J. Christian ◽  
W.I. Clarkson ◽  
A.C. Cameron ◽  
B. Enoch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Field Survey ◽  
Astronomical Observatory ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
La Palma ◽  
Automated Algorithm ◽  
First Results ◽  
Gravitational Pull ◽  
Low Amplitude ◽  
Host Stars

The WASP consortium is conducting an ultra-wide field survey of stars between 8–15 mag from both hemispheres. Our primary science goal is to detect extra-solar ‘hot-Jupiter’-type planets that eclipse (or transit) bright host stars and for which further detailed investigation will be possible. We summarize the design of the SuperWASP instruments and describe the first results from our northern station SW-N, sited in La Palma, Canary Islands. Our second station, which began operations this year, is located at the South African Astronomical Observatory. Between April and September, 2004, SW-N continuously observed ~6.7 million stars. The consortium's custom-written, fully automated data reduction pipeline has been used to process these data, and the information is now stored in the project archive, held by the Leicester database and archive service (LEDAS). We have applied a sophisticated, automated algorithm to identify the low-amplitude (~0.01 mag), brief (~few hours) signatures of transiting exoplanets. In addition, we have assessed each candidate in the light of all available catalogue information in order to reject data artefacts and astrophysical false positive detections. The highest priority candidates are currently being subjected to further observations in order to select the true planets. Once the exoplanets are confirmed, a host of exciting opportunities are open to us. In this paper, we describe two techniques that exploit the transits in order to detect other objects within the same system. The first involves determining precise epochs for a sequence of transit events in order to detect the small timing variations caused by the gravitational pull of other planets in the same system. The second method employs ultra-high precision photometry of the transits to detect the deviations caused by the presence of exoplanetary moons. Both of these techniques are capable of detecting objects the size of terrestrial planets.

scholarly journals New EUV Selected Flare Stars

1995 ◽  
Vol 151 ◽  
pp. 67-68
Author(s):  
Bill Ball ◽  
Gordon Bromage
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Line Emission ◽  
Astronomical Observatory ◽  
Balmer Line ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Comparison Stars ◽  
Flare Stars ◽  
Photometric Monitoring

The ROSAT Wide Field Camera all-sky EUV survey of 1990-91 identified over 200 active late-type stars (Pounds et al. 1993). Most of these were not known to be active prior to the survey and follow-up optical spectroscopy has been successful in selecting the most active dMe stars. These stars are characterized by their Balmer line emission which is direct evidence for an active chromosphere. We present photometric monitoring data for 4 new dMe stars, including the discovery of flaring activity on all 4 stars.The observations were made at the South African Astronomical Observatory at Sutherland near Capetown in October 1994, using the 0.5m and 1.9m telescopes for photometry and spectrometry, respectively. The 0.5m telescope is equipped with an automated, pulse-counting photometer. Flare monitoring of all the stars was done in the U-band with either 5 or 10 s integration times. All the stars monitored were between magnitude V = 11 and 13. A total of 15 flares were detected, including at least one on each star (Table 1). Comparison stars were measured in standard UBVRI photometric bands for each star.

scholarly journals In Pursuit of the Least Luminous Galaxies

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Willman
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Field Survey ◽  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Dwarf Galaxy ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Dark Matter Halos ◽  
The Past ◽  
Luminous Galaxies ◽  
Host Stars

The dwarf galaxy companions to the Milky Way are unique cosmological laboratories. With luminosities as low as10−7LMW, they inhabit the lowest mass dark matter halos known to host stars and are presently the most direct tracers of the distribution, mass spectrum, and clustering scale of dark matter. Their resolved stellar populations also facilitate detailed studies of their history and mass content. To fully exploit this potential requires a well-defined census of virtually invisible galaxies to the faintest possible limits and to the largest possible distances. I review the past and present impacts of survey astronomy on the census of Milky Way dwarf galaxy companions and discuss the future of finding ultra-faint dwarf galaxies around the Milky Way and beyond in wide-field survey data.

Experiment of Wide Field Cryogenic Telescope II (WFCT II) at Sutherland, South African Astronomical Observatory

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kentaro Haraguchi ◽  
Mikio Kurita ◽  
Shuji Sato ◽  
Weilai Gu ◽  
Tetsuya Nagata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Astronomical Observatory ◽  
Wide Field

First Results From the Local Group Census: Planetary Nebulae in Sextans B

2003 ◽  
Vol 209 ◽  
pp. 561-561
Author(s):  
R.L.M. Corradi ◽  
L. Magrini ◽  
N. A. Walton ◽  
A. A. Zijlstra ◽  
J. R. Walsh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Survey ◽  
Local Group ◽  
Planetary Nebulae ◽  
Field Of View ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Isaac Newton ◽  
First Results ◽  
Isaac Newton Telescope

The Local Group Census is a narrowband survey of all the galaxies of the Local Group (LG) with Dec ≥ −30°, being carried out as part of the Isaac Newton Group's Wide Field Survey programme. Observations are being obtained with the Wide Field Camera at the 2.5m Isaac Newton telescope, equipped with a mosaic of four 2k x 4k EEV CCDs covering a field of view of 34′ x 34′.

scholarly journals A Wide‐Field Survey of Twoz∼ 0.5 Galaxy Clusters: Identifying the Physical Processes Responsible for the Observed Transformation of Spirals into S0s

2007 ◽  
Vol 671 (2) ◽  
pp. 1503-1522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean M. Moran ◽  
Richard S. Ellis ◽  
Tommaso Treu ◽  
Graham P. Smith ◽  
R. Michael Rich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Galaxy Clusters ◽  
Field Survey ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Physical Processes

scholarly journals Resolved Stellar Populations of the interacting galaxies of the M81 group

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (S321) ◽  
pp. 22-24
Author(s):  
Sakurako Okamoto ◽  
Nobuo Arimoto ◽  
Annette M.N. Ferguson ◽  
Edouard J. Bernard ◽  
Mike J. Irwin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Main Sequence ◽  
Field Survey ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Young Stars ◽  
Interacting Galaxies ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Red Giant ◽  
Tidal Streams ◽  
Stellar Associations ◽  
First Time

AbstractWe present the results from the state-of-the-art wide-field survey of the M81 galaxy group that we are conducting with Hyper Suprime-Cam on Subaru Telescope. Our photometry reaches about 2 mag below the tip of the red giant branch (RGB) and reveals the spatial distribution of both old and young stars over an area of 5°2around the M81. The young main-sequence (MS) stars closely follow the HI distribution and can be found in a stellar stream between M81 and NGC 3077 and in numerous outlying stellar associations. Our survey also reveals for the first time the very extended (>2 × R25) halos of RGB stars around M81, M82, and NGC 3077, as well as faint tidal streams that link these systems. The gravitational interactions between M81, M82 and NGC 3077 galaxies induced star formation in tidally stripped gas, and also significantly perturbed the older stellar components leading to disturbed halo morphologies.

The PLATO mission: Overview and status

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heike Rauer ◽  
Isabella Pagano ◽  
Miguel Mas-Hesse ◽  
Conny Aerts ◽  
Magali Deleuil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Operational Conditions ◽  
Ground Segment ◽  
Wide Field Of View ◽  
The Status ◽  
Photometric Monitoring ◽  
Host Stars ◽  
Flight Model ◽  
Made In

<p>PLATO is an ESA mission dedicated to the study of exoplanets and stars, with a planned launch date in 2026. By performing photometric monitoring of about 250 000 bright stars (m<sub>V</sub> < 13), PLATO will be able to discover and characterise hundreds of exoplanets, including small planets orbiting up to the habitable zone of solar-like stars. PLATO’s precision will also allow for a precise characterisation of the host stars through asteroseismology. These objectives require both a wide field of view and high sensitivity, which are achieved with a payload comprising 24 cameras with partially overlapping fields of view. They are complemented by 2 more cameras optimised for brighter stars that will also be used as fine guidance sensor. The PLATO development phase started after the mission adoption in July 2017. The Mission Preliminary Design Review (PDR) was declared successful in October 2020. The implementation and delivery to ESA of the flight model CCDs for all cameras (4 CCDs per camera) has been completed. Currently the Structural Thermal Model (STM) of the payload optical bench is being manufactured, while the STM of a single camera has already been successfully tested. In parallel, a first engineering model of a complete, fully functional camera is being integrated, to verify its performance under operational conditions, and the qualification models of the different payload units are being built.</p> <p>We will present the status of the PLATO payload implementation in the context of the satellite development. In particular, we will describe the payload manufacturing, integration, and tests that will be reviewed at the Critical Milestone in the second half of 2021. We will also summarise the progress made in the science preparation activities, as well as on the ground segment.</p>

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