New exoplanet-hunting camera fires up in Chile

[Judi Lynn]

Nick Lavars Nick Lavars July 19, 2017


The astronomy community has just received another tool in the search for faraway worlds, with a new exoplanet hunting instrument entering service in Chile. The device will scan the sky from the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) La Silla facility in the Atacama Desert, cataloguing potential exoplanets for further study by larger scientific instruments.

These two camera arrays work together to continually measure the brightness of thousands of stars, using software to detect momentary dimming of their light as a planet passes in front. This approach is called transit photometry, and is the same technique used by NASA's Kepler space telescope to detect thousands of exoplanets so far.

"Stations are needed in both the northern and southern hemisphere to obtain all-sky coverage," says Ignas Snellen, of Leiden University and the Mascara project lead. "With the second station at La Silla now in place, we can monitor almost all the brighter stars over the entire sky."

ESO says that the Mascara station at La Silla has now made its first successful test observations, and will now work with its northern sibling on its primary science aim: detecting "hot Jupiters." These large, distant worlds are similar to our Jupiter in physical terms, but orbit their stars more closely and in just a few hours, making for high surface temperatures.

More:
http://newatlas.com/mascara-exoplanet-hunter-eso/50551/














La Silla Observatory in the Atacama Desert in Chile, S.A.

[longship]

1. And the new Thirty Meter Telescope in Hawaii is being blocked because of the volcano gods.

Ridiculous! Build the TMT on Mauna Kea.

[HAB911]

3. Anything is acceptable in the name of religion

[longship]

4. Very sadly! nt

[Judi Lynn]

2. Exoplanet hunter sees first flight at La Silla Observatory

Exoplanet hunter sees first flight at La Silla Observatory
EUROPEAN SOUTHERN OBSERVATORY PRESS RELEASE
19 July 2017

The MASCARA (Multi-site All-Sky CAmeRA) station at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile has achieved first light. This new facility will seek out transiting exoplanets as they pass in front of their bright parent stars and create a catalogue of targets for future exoplanet characterisation observations.

In June 2016, ESO reached an agreement with Leiden University to site a station of MASCARA at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile, taking advantage of the excellent observing conditions of the southern hemisphere skies. This station is now made its first successful test observations.

The MASCARA station in Chile is the second to begin operations; the first station is in the northern hemisphere on the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands. Each station contains a battery of cameras in a temperature-controlled enclosure which will monitor almost the entire sky visible from its location.

“Stations are needed in both the northern and southern hemisphere to obtain all-sky coverage,” says Ignas Snellen, of Leiden University and the MASCARA project lead. “With the second station at La Silla now in place, we can monitor almost all the brighter stars over the entire sky.”

More:
https://astronomynow.com/2017/07/19/exoplanet-hunter-sees-first-flight-at-la-silla-observatory/