HIRES instrument helps detect potential exoplanets.
Artist’s conceptions
of the probable planet orbiting a star called GJ 411
Courtesy of
Ricardo Ramirez.
International team of astronomers
releases the largest-ever compilation of exoplanet-detecting
observations, made from observatory atop Maunakea
Maunakea, Hawai'i - An international team of
astronomers today released a compilation of almost 61,000 individual
measurements made on more than 1,600 stars, used to detect exoplanets
elsewhere in our Milky Way galaxy. The compilation includes data on over
100 new potential exoplanets. The entire dataset was observed using one
of the twin telescopes of the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea over
the past two decades. The search for new worlds elsewhere in our Milky
Way galaxy is one of the most exciting frontiers in astronomy today. The
paper is published in the Astronomical Journal.
HIRES instrument helps detect potential exoplanets
"The
work of this team and their willingness to share data and techniques
unveils a world of new possibilities, vastly increasing the ability of
astronomers everywhere to perform in-depth studies of these exoplanet
systems," said Hilton Lewis, Keck Observatory Director. "Our observatory
is proud to be the source of these discoveries, thanks to our
cutting-edge instrumentation and the unparalleled observing conditions
atop Maunakea."
The astronomers used a highly specialized
instrument called the High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer, or HIRES,
mounted on the 10-meter Keck-I telescope. The instrument detects tiny
wobbles of nearby stars caused by the gravitational pull of planets
orbiting those stars -a sensitive and challenging phenomenon to measure.
Powerful instrumentation and sophisticated algorithms are needed to
extract the signature of the exoplanets.
"HIRES is an incredible
tool, part of the suite of sensitive instruments used to perform all
kinds of extraordinary observations with our twin telescopes," said Greg
Doppmann, Keck Observatory Support Astronomer. "Our scientific and
technical support team brings their A-game daily-a precise focus on even
the tiniest details-to ensure that these instruments are ready to
deploy for each night of observing."
Contributors to the
international team include representatives from the Carnegie Institution
for Science, University of California at Santa Cruz, Yale University,
University of Hertfordshire, and Universidad de Chile.
For more background information, please visit:
- http://news.ucsc.edu/2017/02/hires-data-release.html
- https://carnegiescience.edu/node/2141
- http://news.mit.edu/2017/dataset-nearby-stars-available-public-exoplanets-0213
About W. M. Keck Observatory
The
W. M. Keck Observatory operates the largest, most scientifically
productive telescopes on Earth. The two, 10-meter optical/infrared
telescopes near the summit of Mauna Kea on the Island of Hawai'i feature
a suite of advanced instruments including imagers, multi-object
spectrographs, high-resolution spectrographs, integral-field
spectrographs and world-leading laser guide star adaptive optics
systems. Keck Observatory is a private 501(c) 3 non-profit organization
and a scientific partnership of the California Institute of Technology,
the University of California and NASA. For additional information
regarding W. M. Keck Observatory, please visit http://www.keckobservatory.org/.
Contact:
Andrea Lum
Bennet Group Strategic Communications
808-286-9569
andrea@bennetgroup.com
Rich Matsuda
W. M. Keck Observatory
(808) 881-3822
communications@keck.hawaii.edu
Source: W.M. Keck Observatory
