RECONS Explores the Nearest Stars

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The RECONS (REsearch Consortium On Nearby Stars, www.recons.org) project is measuring the basic properties of several thousand stars that are nearest to the Sun, out to about 80 light years. Under this award, the team will concentrate on the smallest stars, known as red dwarfs, and their slightly less massive cousins, known as brown dwarfs. Although they are the smallest stars in the Universe, red dwarfs account for more than three-quarters of all stars; so, it is important to understand how they compare to the Sun in temperature, size, and whether or not they are orbited by other stars or planets. Students and postdoctoral researchers will develop mathematical and programming skills. Georgia State University serves a large population of students from groups historically underrepresented in scientific careers, and this project will provide opportunities for student involvement in research.The cornerstone of the RECONS effort is the astrometry/photometry program at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile underway since 1999. Observations made there pinpoint compelling stars among a target sample of 500 that are observed in greater detail via observations from other telescopes such as SOAR, Gemini, and HST to characterize the natures of the stars and their companions. The project will explore two key questions in stellar astrophysics: (1) What happens to the population of objects as masses decline from the smallest stars to substellar brown dwarfs? (2) What is the companion population - stars, brown dwarfs, and massive planets - on Solar System scales around red dwarfs?