Exoplanet Prospects at Earth-based Observatories

by | Jan 9, 2018 | | 20 Comments

Although I often write about upcoming space missions that will advance exoplanet research, we're also seeing a good deal of progress in Earth-based installations. In the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, the Extremely Large Telescope is under construction, with first light planned for 2024. With 256 times the light gathering area of the Hubble instrument, the ELT is clearly going to be a factor in not just exoplanet work but our studies of numerous other astronomical phenomena, from the earliest galaxies in the cosmos to the question of dark energy. Today we learn that the first six hexagonal segments for the ELT's main mirror have been cast by the German company SCHOTT at their facility in Mainz, Germany. We're just at the beginning of the process here, for the primary mirror is to be, at 39 meters, the largest ever made for an optical-infrared telescope. 798 individual segments -- each 1.4 meters across and 5 centimeters thick -- will go into it, working together as a single...

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Tightening the Focus on Brown Dwarfs

by | Jan 8, 2018 | | 12 Comments

Among the many indicators that we have much to learn about brown dwarfs is the fact that we don't yet know how frequently they form. Recent work from Koraljka Muzic (University of Lisbon) and colleagues has pointed, however, to quite a robust galactic population (see How Many Brown Dwarfs in the Milky Way?). Working with observations at the Very Large Telescope, the study pegged the brown dwarf population at 25 billion, with a potential of as many as 100 billion. Image: Stellar cluster NGC 1333 is home to a large number of brown dwarfs. Astronomers will use Webb's powerful infrared instruments to learn more about these dim cousins to the cluster's bright newborn stars. Credit: NASA/CXC/JPL. Likewise in need of further data is our understanding of how brown dwarfs form, especially in the region where planet and star overlap. Recall that brown dwarfs are not main sequence stars, as they are not massive enough to ignite hydrogen fusion, even if deuterium and lithium fusion may occur. If...

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2017 from an Interstellar Perspective

by | Jan 5, 2018 | | 23 Comments

The recent burst of interest in interstellar flight has surely been enhanced by the exoplanet discoveries that have become almost daily news. Finding interesting planets, some of them with the potential for water on their surfaces, inevitably raises the question of how we might find a way to get there. We can only imagine this accelerating as missions like the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and the James Webb Space Telescope begin to fill in not just our inventory of nearby planets but our understanding of their compositions. Find a terrestrial class planet around another star -- we may find that there is more than one around the Alpha Centauri stars -- and the interstellar probe again becomes a topic of lively conversation. Breakthrough Starshot, the hugely ambitious attempt to develop a concept for tiny payloads being delivered through beamed laser propulsion to a nearby star, is by now a major part of the discussion. And as I said in my closing remarks at the recent...

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3200 Phaethon: Arecibo Back at Work

by | Jan 4, 2018 | | 7 Comments

With the holidays behind us (alas), I want to be sure to cover the Arecibo observations of asteroid 3200 Phaethon, not only for their intrinsic interest but as a nod to the restoration of operations at the Puerto Rico observatory. We are fortunate indeed that the structural damage Arecibo suffered on September 20 because of hurricane Maria was relatively minor. Radio astronomy work was back in progress within days of the storm, though it took until early December before commercial power was restored and radar work could resume. If you're interested in radar astronomy, have a look at Alessondra Springmann's How Radar Really Works: The Steps Involved Before Getting an Image, which is available via The Planetary Society. Springmann offers a detailed overview of radar operations with a splash of humor: Arecibo Observatory is known for its 305-meter (1000-foot) diameter telescope and its appearances in Goldeneye and Contact. Aside from battling Bond villains and driving red diesel Jeeps...

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KIC 8462852: A Dusty Solution?

by | Jan 3, 2018 | | 69 Comments

Research into Boyajian's Star, otherwise known as KIC 8462852 or 'Tabby's Star,' has continued in robust fashion even as many of us were distracted by that other curiosity with a faint SETI potential, the interstellar asteroid `Oumuamua. In both cases, a highly interesting object provoked speculation as to its origins, with Boyajian's Star getting the lion's share of attention because the unusual dips in its lightcurve proved hard to explain. Now a team of more than 200 researchers led by Tabetha Boyajian herself is drawing useful conclusions about the star. Also on the team is Penn State's Jason Wright, whose interest in possible SETI signatures led him to point out that engineering on a vast scale could not immediately be ruled out. The paper now being made available in The Astrophysical Journal Letters shows that the star dims more at some wavelengths than at others. And that is, to say the least, problematic for the idea that an artificial megastructure orbits Boyajian's Star....

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Charter

In Centauri Dreams, Paul Gilster looks at peer-reviewed research on deep space exploration, with an eye toward interstellar possibilities. For many years this site coordinated its efforts with the Tau Zero Foundation. It now serves as an independent forum for deep space news and ideas. In the logo above, the leftmost star is Alpha Centauri, a triple system closer than any other star, and a primary target for early interstellar probes. To its right is Beta Centauri (not a part of the Alpha Centauri system), with Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon Crucis, stars in the Southern Cross, visible at the far right (image courtesy of Marco Lorenzi).

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