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

地球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。每个阵列都有8个相同的望远镜，宽40厘米，配有相机。地球北位于亚利桑那州的霍普金斯山，地球南位于智利的塞罗·托洛洛美洲天文台。该项目包括使用地球阵列进行为期3年的调查，以发现小型系外行星。研究人员预计将发现6颗与地球大小相近、温度在300-600K之间的行星。研究人员预计，至少会发现一颗这样的行星，它与恒星的距离与地球上的生命相似，可以在那里生存。地球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研究恒星天体物理学。这个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了解，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地球科学项目的一部分。首席研究员还与哈佛大学未来教师领袖项目和班纳克研究所合作。该项目旨在提高我们对小型系外行星的了解，通过使用专用的地球天文台对最近的低质量恒星进行为期3年的全天调查，确定这些系外行星的最佳凌日例子。地球天文台由两个机器人望远镜阵列组成，每个阵列有8个40厘米的电荷耦合器件探测器装备的望远镜。地球北位于亚利桑那州的霍普金斯山，地球南位于智利的塞罗·托洛洛美洲天文台。由于这些行星离它们的宿主恒星很近，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限制。他们还将通过光谱分析大气层发射的星光来研究系外行星的大气层。在这项为期3年的调查中，预计将发现6颗行星，半径在地球半径的1.0-2.5倍之间，温度在300-600K之间，预计至少有一颗行星位于宜居带。地球的第二个科学目标是推进恒星天体物理学的研究。本科生、研究生和博士后科学家将参与地球科学项目。首席研究员还参加了哈佛大学的未来教师领袖计划和班纳克研究所。

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.