The MEarth Project: An All Sky Survey of the Closest Low-mass Stars to Uncover the Very Best Terrestrial Exoplanets for Further Study

MEarth 项目：对最近的低质量恒星进行全天巡天，以发现最好的类地系外行星以供进一步研究

• 批准号: 1616624
• 负责人: David Charbonneau
• 金额: $ 49.99万
• 依托单位: Harvard University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-08-01 至 2019-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1616624&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MEarth; Project; Sky; Survey; Closest

The MEarth Observatories are made up of two robotic telescope arrays that are designed to find Earth-like planets around smaller stars. Each array has 8 identical telescopes that are 40 cm wide and equipped with cameras. MEarth-North is located at Mt. Hopkins, Arizona, and MEarth-South is located at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile. This project consists of a 3-year survey using the MEarth arrays that will discover small exoplanets. The investigators expect to discover 6 planets with sizes close to the Earth's size and temperatures ranging from 300-600K. The investigators anticipate finding at least one of these planets located at a distance from its star where life similar to the Earth's life could survive. A second science goal of MEarth is to aid the study of stellar astrophysics with the large amount of data the project will collect. This project serves the national interest by promoting our discovery and knowledge of planets beyond our Solar System that could harbor life. Undergraduate and graduate students, and post-doctorate scientists, will be part of the MEarth science project. The principal investigator also works with Harvard's Future Faculty Leaders program and the Banneker Institute.This project aims to improve our understanding of small exoplanets by identifying the optimal transiting examples of these exoplanets through a 3-year, all-sky survey of the closest low-mass stars using the dedicated MEarth Observatories. The MEarth Observatories consists of two robotic telescope arrays, each array having 8 40-cm charge-coupled device detector-equipped telescopes. MEarth-North is located at Mt. Hopkins, Arizona, and MEarth-South is located at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile. Owing to the planets' proximities to their host stars, and their small sizes, the investigators will be able to obtain precise limits on the densities of these exoplanets. They will also study the exoplanets' atmospheres through spectroscopy of the starlight that the atmospheres transmit. Six planets are predicted to be discovered during this 3-year survey, with radii between 1.0-2.5x Earth's radius and temperatures from 300-600K, with the expectation of at least one planet in the habitable zone. The secondary science goal of MEarth is to advance the study of stellar astrophysics. Undergraduate and graduate students, and post-doctorate scientists, will participate in the MEarth science project. The principal investigator also participates in Harvard's Future Faculty Leaders program and the Banneker Institute.

MEarth天文台由两个机器人望远镜阵列组成，旨在寻找围绕较小恒星的类地行星。每个阵列有8个相同的望远镜，40厘米宽，配备相机。北方邦位于Mt。霍普金斯，亚利桑那州和MEarth南部位于塞罗托洛洛美洲天文台，智利。该项目包括使用MEarth阵列进行为期3年的调查，将发现小型系外行星。研究人员预计将发现6颗大小接近地球的行星，温度在300- 600 K之间。研究人员预计，这些行星中至少会有一颗与其星星相距甚远，在那里类似地球的生命可以生存。MEarth的第二个科学目标是利用该项目将收集的大量数据来帮助恒星天体物理学的研究。该项目通过促进我们对太阳系以外可能存在生命的行星的发现和知识来服务于国家利益。本科生和研究生以及博士后科学家将成为MEarth科学项目的一部分。主要研究者还与哈佛的未来教师领导人计划和班纳克研究所合作。该项目旨在通过使用专门的MEarth天文台对最近的低质量恒星进行为期3年的全天空调查来确定这些系外行星的最佳过境例子，从而提高我们对小型系外行星的理解。MEarth天文台由两个机器人望远镜阵列组成，每个阵列有8个配备40厘米电荷耦合器件探测器的望远镜。MEarth North位于Mt.霍普金斯，亚利桑那州和MEarth南部位于塞罗托洛洛美洲天文台，智利。由于这些行星与它们的主星很接近，而且它们的体积很小，研究人员将能够获得这些系外行星密度的精确极限。他们还将通过大气层传输的星光光谱来研究系外行星的大气层。预计在这三年的调查中将发现六颗行星，半径在地球半径的1.0- 2.5倍之间，温度在300- 600 K之间，预计至少有一颗行星在可居住区。MEarth的次要科学目标是推进恒星天体物理学的研究。本科生和研究生以及博士后科学家将参加MEarth科学项目。首席研究员还参加了哈佛的未来教师领导人计划和班纳克研究所。