Extrasolar Systems Shed Light on Our

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Extrasolar Systems Shed Light on Our NEWS FEATURE NEWS FEATURE Extrasolar systems shed light on our own Amazing as the discoveries of planets, comets, and asteroid belts around other stars are, it’s their potential to shed light on our Solar System’s origins that is exciting astronomers. Nadia Drake broader sense, we’re trying to understand Science Writer if our own world—and our own Solar Sys- tem—is ‘normal,’” says David Grinspoon, Chair of Astrobiology at the US Library of A planet smaller than Mercury circles a star astronomers can use the Solar System’s ar- Congress in Washington, DC, “or, in some 210 light-years away. Around another star, chitecture to predict the presence of un- extraordinary way, abnormal.” two planets live so close together that each seen objects in these systems, and use the periodically rises in the other’s sky. Other systems to learn more about the celestial Chasing Comets alien skies are home to two suns that rise events that gave birth to and shaped our One stellar system with a recently identified and set, casting double shadows over their Solar System. kinship to ours is that of Vega. This famil- double-sunned worlds. Planets so dense “We definitely learn more about the Solar iar star burns brightly in the northern sky, they might have diamond rinds, worlds System’s past and future by observing other where it forms a summertime triangle with whose year is shorter than an Earthday, oth- stellar systems,” says astronomer Kate Su stars Deneb and Altair. Just 25 light-years ers that orbit their star backward—the cos- of the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. away, the star spins so rapidly it’s not spher- mos holds many exotic and diverse objects. “Our challenge now is to identify common ical, but squashed, with flattened poles and And yet, among the eclectic oddities are features and link them to what we know a few planetary systems whose smaller resi- about our own Solar System,” she says. We definitely learn more dents look intriguingly familiar. By many These common features are moving about the Solar System’s standards, these systems are very much Earth—and the Solar System—even further past and future by like home: In addition to multiple planets, from the realm of the unique, and advanc- some stars are ringed by belts of small rocky ing an almost inexorable Copernican march observing other stellar bodies, like our comets and asteroids. Now, toward the surprisingly mundane. “In a systems. a bulging equator. Though young, Vega is already twice as massive as the sun, and for centuries has helped travelers navigate the night and fueled the imagination of genera- tions. Vega’s extrasolar system is like a larger version of our own, with two rocky bands of debris separated by a clean gap, a double- belted configuration that has only been ob- served around a handful of other stars. Looming on Vega’s outskirts—between 90 and 120 times farther from the star than Earth is from the sun—is a cold, icy belt of dust and rocks. This icy debris field, discov- ered in 1984 (1), is like an extrasolar ver- sion of our own Kuiper Belt, home to com- ets and frozen worlds like the five-mooned dwarf planet Pluto. In our Solar System, Image courtesy of NASA/FUSE/Lynette Cook. Image courtesy of NASA/FUSE/Lynette the Kuiper Belt begins beyond the orbit of Artist’s conception of the star Beta Pictoris. In the inset panels, composition of two possible Neptune, at 30 astronomical units (AU) mature terrestrial planets orbiting Beta Pictoris. A water-rich planet similar to the Earth (Top); (1 AU equals the mean distance between a carbon-rich planet (Bottom). Earth and the Sun). But aside from Pluto, www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1305211110 PNAS | April 9, 2013 | vol. 110 | no. 15 | 5735–5737 Downloaded by guest on September 24, 2021 objects populating the Kuiper Belt weren’t have been thought,” says astronomer Bar- change as more sensitive instruments come observed until 1992 (2), though the belt ry Welsh of the University of California, online. Finding these inner debris disks is had been a hypothetical reservoir for short- Berkeley, CA. “Two or 3 years ago, we had a trickier than detecting cooler, more dis- period comets. “It can fairly be said that we thousand exoplanets and only four comets. tant disks, because the inner disks radiate knew about Kuiper Belts around other stars So we tried to come up with a formula for at a wavelength that’s obscured by the star’s 8 years before we began to know that the which stars might harbor exocomets.” glare. Sun had one, too,” says Karl Stapelfeldt, an Welsh and Sharon Montgomery, from To spy on Vega’s inner disk, Su and her astronomer at National Aeronautics and Clarion University, Clarion, PA, selected a colleagues used two space telescopes— Space Administration (NASA)’s Goddard group of young, rapidly rotating stars—the NASA’s Spitzer and the European Space Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory. A Like the Kuiper Belt, Vega’s disk is a likely “Wherever there are band of warm dust radiating in the infrared reservoir of comets, which would streak planets, there are going revealed the disk, the probable result of col- through the young exosystem more fre- liding asteroids. The team also took a closer quently than in our own. “It takes time for to be comets. Or look at Fomalhaut and found a system with the population of comets to get used up by asteroids. Or dust.” similar proportions—two belts separated collisional grinding and gas evaporation,” by a clean gap. Stapelfeldt says. same type as Vega—that have known debris The sculpted gap between the two rings is Vega and the sun are not the only two disks (8). Then, from the McDonald Ob- the likely handiwork of at least one planet, stars hosting icy debris rings: Cold, dusty servatory in Texas, they searched for star- even though no planets have been observed ribbons have been found around several grazing comets passing between their host around Vega. Yet. stars, including Beta-Pictoris, Fomalhaut, stars and Earth. “We look for tiny signatures “Planets are needed in between the two and HR 8799 (3–5). Another stellar sys- in the spectrum of the star,” says Montgom- belts to keep the gap clear of dust,” says Sta- tem, Eta Corvi, was observed being pelted ery. Those signatures are produced as the pelfeldt, a member of the asteroid-detect- by what scientists surmise was a hailstorm gas in an evaporating comet’s tail alters the ing team. Several planets, Jupiter-mass or of comets, flung inward from one of these star’s light that reaches Earth. At the end of smaller, might be gravitationally sweeping more distant reservoirs (6). NASA’s Spitzer the observing run, Welsh and Montgomery up small bodies from the gap—a familiar Space Telescope studied the system in the had found evidence for six new exocom- architecture that is also found around the infrared and found evidence for water, ice, ets—about one for every four stars they star HR 8799, where four giant planets orbit organics, and shattered rock near the star— searched. between two dusty belts. perhaps the result of comets colliding with Now, says Welsh, it appears that exocom- But identifying planets around Vega is a planet. ets are probably extremely common—at a project for the future—perhaps for the Eta Corvi is now about one billion years least as common as exoplanets. “Wher- James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to old—the same age the Sun was when a sim- ever there are planets, there are going to launch in 2018. The telescope’s enormous, ilar cataclysm happened in our Solar Sys- be comets. Or asteroids. Or dust,” Welsh 6.5-m primary mirror, with about seven tem. During this period of adolescent rebel- says, noting that planetary systems are like times more collecting area than the Hub- lion, the giant planets migrated outward, a construction sites; even after the planets ble Space Telescope, could image the giant march that sent small, rocky bodies hurtling are built, there’s material left over. “Bits of planets directly with the help of a light- toward the inner Solar System. Scars from wood, nails—that’s basically the debris left blocking star shade. Or, an instrument such this period, called the Late Heavy Bom- over that can form comets,” he says. as the Gemini Planet Imager, scheduled to bardment, are still carried on objects like go online in the Southern Hemisphere in the Moon, whose surface contains the cra- Alien Asteroids late 2013, should be able to see Vega’s plan- tered record of these early growth spasms. Closer to Vega is a second debris disk, ets if it moves north, says Franck Marchis, a Now, astronomers estimate that as many warmer and more recently discovered than planetary astronomer at the SETI Institute as 20% of nearby stars come with cold, the icy belt. These two belts are situated in Mountain View, CA. comet-bearing belts, reservoirs for the type much like the Sun’s, with the colder disk of objects thought to have delivered water being roughly 10 times farther out than its Moon Hunt to Earth. warmer counterpart. Giant planets, whether in the Vega system But the evidence for exocomets doesn’t Though astronomers haven’t actually seen or elsewhere, are tantalizing candidates to simply lie in cold debris disks. Individual them, Vega’s asteroids are probably dense search for the presence of exomoons.
Recommended publications
  • Linking Stars, Planets and Debris Through Herschel Observations of Radial Velocity Exoplanet Host Stars
    Linking stars, planets and debris through Herschel observations of radial velocity exoplanet host stars Jonathan P. Marshall Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Introduction • Herschel observed 104 radial velocity exoplanet host stars, of which 30 also had detectable circumstellar discs (DEBRIS, DUNES, GT and SKARPS) • Given that we expect planets to form from the agglomeration of planetesimals, there should be some link between the two • Previous work with Spitzer identified no correlation between planets and debris (Moro-martin et al. 2007, Bryden et al. 2009) • Observational signatures of planets may be visible in the spatial distribution of dust discs around other stars Imaging exoplanets • We find exoplanets in systems with debris discs (Marois et al. 2008; Bonnefoy et al. 2011; Rameau et al. 2013) Multi-component discs • HIP 17439’s debris disc is potentially the result of two cold dust belts Ertel et al. 2014 Schueppler et al., subm. Dynamical interactions • e.g. Eta Corvi’s Spitzer IRS spectrum shows evidence for KBO material in inner system Matthews et al. 2010 Lisse et al. 2012 Perturbation • Stars hosting exoplanets with low orbital eccentricities show a weak tendency to have brighter discs • Planets with lower eorb are less disruptive to parent bodies in debris belts Maldonado et al. 2012 Eccentric discs • e.g. HIP 15371 • Asymmetric structure proposed to be the result of dynamical perturbation by a planetary companion . Similar evidence seen in other discs (in sub-mm) tends to be weak, potentially result of low s/n observation . Not necessarily a planet, as remnant gas could affect dust Faramaz et al. 2014 Coplanarity • Inclination of star, i*, and disc, id • Debris discs are generally seen to lie along the equatorial plane of the host star • Few exceptions, e.g.
    [Show full text]
  • Summer Constellations
    Night Sky 101: Summer Constellations The Summer Triangle Photo Credit: Smoky Mountain Astronomical Society The Summer Triangle is made up of three bright stars—Altair, in the constellation Aquila (the eagle), Deneb in Cygnus (the swan), and Vega Lyra (the lyre, or harp). Also called “The Northern Cross” or “The Backbone of the Milky Way,” Cygnus is a horizontal cross of five bright stars. In very dark skies, Cygnus helps viewers find the Milky Way. Albireo, the last star in Cygnus’s tail, is actually made up of two stars (a binary star). The separate stars can be seen with a 30 power telescope. The Ring Nebula, part of the constellation Lyra, can also be seen with this magnification. In Japanese mythology, Vega, the celestial princess and goddess, fell in love Altair. Her father did not approve of Altair, since he was a mortal. They were forbidden from seeing each other. The two lovers were placed in the sky, where they were separated by the Celestial River, repre- sented by the Milky Way. According to the legend, once a year, a bridge of magpies form, rep- resented by Cygnus, to reunite the lovers. Photo credit: Unknown Scorpius Also called Scorpio, Scorpius is one of the 12 Zodiac constellations, which are used in reading horoscopes. Scorpius represents those born during October 23 to November 21. Scorpio is easy to spot in the summer sky. It is made up of a long string bright stars, which are visible in most lights, especially Antares, because of its distinctly red color. Antares is about 850 times bigger than our sun and is a red giant.
    [Show full text]
  • September 2016
    11/20/2016 11:13 AM CHECK RECONCILIATION REGISTER PAGE: 1 COMPANY: 04 - COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CHECK DATE: 9/01/2016 THRU 9/30/2016 ACCOUNT: 10010 CASH C.D.B.G. - CHECKING CLEAR DATE: 0/00/0000 THRU 99/99/9999 TYPE: Check STATEMENT: 0/00/0000 THRU 99/99/9999 STATUS: All VOIDED DATE: 0/00/0000 THRU 99/99/9999 FOLIO: All AMOUNT: 0.00 THRU 999,999,999.99 CHECK NUMBER: 000000 THRU 999999 ACCOUNT --DATE-- --TYPE-- NUMBER ---------DESCRIPTION---------- ----AMOUNT--- STATUS FOLIO CLEAR DATE CHECK: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10010 9/08/2016 CHECK 006680 LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY 1,702.00CR CLEARED A 10/10/2016 10010 9/08/2016 CHECK 006681 MISSION CRIME STOPPERS 2,726.60CR CLEARED A 10/10/2016 10010 9/22/2016 CHECK 006682 A ONE INSULATION 5,950.00CR CLEARED A 10/10/2016 10010 9/22/2016 CHECK 006683 A ONE INSULATION 5,950.00CR CLEARED A 10/10/2016 10010 9/22/2016 CHECK 006684 A ONE INSULATION 5,850.00CR CLEARED A 10/10/2016 10010 9/22/2016 CHECK 006685 A ONE INSULATION 5,850.00CR CLEARED A 10/10/2016 10010 9/22/2016 CHECK 006686 CHILDREN'S ADV.CENTER HDL 911.62CR CLEARED A 10/10/2016 10010 9/22/2016 CHECK 006687 G&G CONTRACTORS 23,920.00CR CLEARED A 10/10/2016 10010 9/29/2016 CHECK 006688 AMIGOS DEL VALLE 1,631.05CR CLEARED A 11/07/2016 10010 9/29/2016 CHECK 006689 DELL MARKETING L.P. 1,148.00CR CLEARED A 11/07/2016 10010 9/29/2016 CHECK 006690 LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY 2,682.54CR CLEARED A 11/07/2016 10010 9/29/2016 CHECK 006691 SILVER RIBBON COMMUNITY PARTNE 815.04CR
    [Show full text]
  • RADIAL VELOCITIES in the ZODIACAL DUST CLOUD
    A SURVEY OF RADIAL VELOCITIES in the ZODIACAL DUST CLOUD Brian Harold May Astrophysics Group Department of Physics Imperial College London Thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy to Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine London · 2007 · 2 Abstract This thesis documents the building of a pressure-scanned Fabry-Perot Spectrometer, equipped with a photomultiplier and pulse-counting electronics, and its deployment at the Observatorio del Teide at Izaña in Tenerife, at an altitude of 7,700 feet (2567 m), for the purpose of recording high-resolution spectra of the Zodiacal Light. The aim was to achieve the first systematic mapping of the MgI absorption line in the Night Sky, as a function of position in heliocentric coordinates, covering especially the plane of the ecliptic, for a wide variety of elongations from the Sun. More than 250 scans of both morning and evening Zodiacal Light were obtained, in two observing periods – September-October 1971, and April 1972. The scans, as expected, showed profiles modified by components variously Doppler-shifted with respect to the unshifted shape seen in daylight. Unexpectedly, MgI emission was also discovered. These observations covered for the first time a span of elongations from 25º East, through 180º (the Gegenschein), to 27º West, and recorded average shifts of up to six tenths of an angstrom, corresponding to a maximum radial velocity relative to the Earth of about 40 km/s. The set of spectra obtained is in this thesis compared with predictions made from a number of different models of a dust cloud, assuming various distributions of dust density as a function of position and particle size, and differing assumptions about their speed and direction.
    [Show full text]
  • A Large Hα Line Forming Region for the Massive Interacting Binaries Β
    A&A 532, A148 (2011) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201116742 & c ESO 2011 Astrophysics AlargeHα line forming region for the massive interacting binaries β Lyrae and υ Sagitarii D. Bonneau1, O. Chesneau1, D. Mourard1, Ph. Bério1,J.M.Clausse1, O. Delaa1,A.Marcotto1, K. Perraut2, A. Roussel1,A.Spang1,Ph.Stee1, I. Tallon-Bosc3, H. McAlister4,5, T. ten Brummelaar5, J. Sturmann5, L. Sturmann5, N. Turner5, C. Farrington5, and P. J. Goldfinger5 1 Lab. H. Fizeau, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS UMR 6525, Obs. de la Côte d’Azur, Av. Copernic, 06130 Grasse, France e-mail: [email protected] 2 UJF-Grenoble 1/CNRS-INSU, Inst. de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG) UMR 5274, Grenoble 38041, France 3 Univ. Lyon 1, Observatoire de Lyon, 9 avenue Charles André, Saint-Genis Laval 69230, France 4 Georgia State University, PO Box 3969, Atlanta GA 30302-3969, USA 5 CHARA Array, Mount Wilson Observatory, 91023 Mount Wilson CA, USA Received 17 February 2011 / Accepted 1 July 2011 ABSTRACT Aims. This study aims at constraining the properties of two interacting binary systems by measuring their continuum-forming region in the visible and the forming regions of some emission lines, in particular Hα, using optical interferometry. Methods. We have obtained visible medium (R ∼ 1000) spectral resolution interferometric observations of β Lyr and of υ Sgr using the VEGA instrument of the CHARA array. For both systems, visible continuum (520/640 nm) visibilities were estimated and differential interferometry data were obtained in the Hα emission line at several epochs of their orbital period.
    [Show full text]
  • Our Place in the Universe Research Earth Orbits the Sun, Slowly Traveling Around in a Circular Path
    Earth, Sun, and Moon System Explore 2 Our Place in the Universe Research Earth orbits the Sun, slowly traveling around in a circular path. The Sun is a middle sized star. All of the planets in our solar system orbit this star. But when you look up at the night sky, you will see many other stars. Some of those have their own planets orbiting away in space. These other solar systems are called exosolar systems to distinguish between our solar system and these alien systems. Almost all of the objects you see in the night sky are part of the Milky Way, which is a giant collection of stars that all orbit a common center due to gravity. But if you look at the constellation Pegasus, which makes a giant square in the summer sky, you might see what appears to be a puffy cloud nearby. It is not a cloud, though. It is the Andromeda galaxy. It is an even bigger collection of stars that orbit a common center, and is over a million light-years away! There are many millions of galaxies in our universe, some close by and others very distant. Your group will choose one of these types of objects (stars, exosolar systems, and galaxies) and research its properties and location in the universe. You will then create a poster and a presentation about your star, galaxy, or exosolar system to present to the class. Procedure: 1. With your group, research one of the following objects. These are not the only options, but simply suggestions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Midnight Sky: Familiar Notes on the Stars and Planets, Edward Durkin, July 15, 1869 a Good Way to Start – Find North
    The expression "dog days" refers to the period from July 3 through Aug. 11 when our brightest night star, SIRIUS (aka the dog star), rises in conjunction* with the sun. Conjunction, in astronomy, is defined as the apparent meeting or passing of two celestial bodies. TAAS Fabulous Fifty A program for those new to astronomy Friday Evening, July 20, 2018, 8:00 pm All TAAS and other new and not so new astronomers are welcome. What is the TAAS Fabulous 50 Program? It is a set of 4 meetings spread across a calendar year in which a beginner to astronomy learns to locate 50 of the most prominent night sky objects visible to the naked eye. These include stars, constellations, asterisms, and Messier objects. Methodology 1. Meeting dates for each season in year 2018 Winter Jan 19 Spring Apr 20 Summer Jul 20 Fall Oct 19 2. Locate the brightest and easiest to observe stars and associated constellations 3. Add new prominent constellations for each season Tonight’s Schedule 8:00 pm – We meet inside for a slide presentation overview of the Summer sky. 8:40 pm – View night sky outside The Midnight Sky: Familiar Notes on the Stars and Planets, Edward Durkin, July 15, 1869 A Good Way to Start – Find North Polaris North Star Polaris is about the 50th brightest star. It appears isolated making it easy to identify. Circumpolar Stars Polaris Horizon Line Albuquerque -- 35° N Circumpolar Stars Capella the Goat Star AS THE WORLD TURNS The Circle of Perpetual Apparition for Albuquerque Deneb 1 URSA MINOR 2 3 2 URSA MAJOR & Vega BIG DIPPER 1 3 Draco 4 Camelopardalis 6 4 Deneb 5 CASSIOPEIA 5 6 Cepheus Capella the Goat Star 2 3 1 Draco Ursa Minor Ursa Major 6 Camelopardalis 4 Cassiopeia 5 Cepheus Clock and Calendar A single map of the stars can show the places of the stars at different hours and months of the year in consequence of the earth’s two primary movements: Daily Clock The rotation of the earth on it's own axis amounts to 360 degrees in 24 hours, or 15 degrees per hour (360/24).
    [Show full text]
  • Gemini Planet Imager Spectroscopy of the Dusty Substellar Companion HD 206893 B
    The Astronomical Journal, 161:5 (24pp), 2021 January https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/abc263 © 2020. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Gemini Planet Imager Spectroscopy of the Dusty Substellar Companion HD206893B K. Ward-Duong1,2 , J. Patience2, K. Follette3 , R. J. De Rosa4,5 , J. Rameau6,7 , M. Marley8 , D. Saumon9 , E. L. Nielsen4 , A. Rajan10 , A. Z. Greenbaum11 , J. Lee12, J. J. Wang13,14,40 , I. Czekala4,14,41 , G. Duchêne6,14 , B. Macintosh4 , S. Mark Ammons15 , V. P. Bailey16 , T. Barman17 , J. Bulger18,19 , C. Chen10 , J. Chilcote4,20 , T. Cotten12 , R. Doyon7, T. M. Esposito14 , M. P. Fitzgerald21 , B. L. Gerard22,23 , S. J. Goodsell24 , J. R. Graham14, P. Hibon5 , J. Hom2 , L.-W. Hung25 , P. Ingraham26 , P. Kalas14,27 , Q. Konopacky28 , J. E. Larkin21 , J. Maire28, F. Marchis27 , C. Marois23,29 , S. Metchev30,31 , M. A. Millar-Blanchaer16,42 , R. Oppenheimer32 , D. Palmer15 , M. Perrin10 , L. Poyneer15, L. Pueyo10, F. T. Rantakyrö33 , B. Ren34 , J.-B. Ruffio4 , D. Savransky35 , A. C. Schneider36,37 , A. Sivaramakrishnan10 , I. Song12 , R. Soummer10 , M. Tallis4, S. Thomas26 , J. Kent Wallace16 , S. Wiktorowicz38 , and S. Wolff39 1 Five College Astronomy Department, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002, USA; [email protected] 2 School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 871404, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA 3 Physics & Astronomy Department, Amherst College, 21 Merrill Science Drive, Amherst, MA 01002, USA 4 Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA 5 European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Córdova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago, Chile 6 Univ.
    [Show full text]
  • Biosignatures Search in Habitable Planets
    galaxies Review Biosignatures Search in Habitable Planets Riccardo Claudi 1,* and Eleonora Alei 1,2 1 INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Padova, Vicolo Osservatorio, 5, 35122 Padova, Italy 2 Physics and Astronomy Department, Padova University, 35131 Padova, Italy * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 2 August 2019; Accepted: 25 September 2019; Published: 29 September 2019 Abstract: The search for life has had a new enthusiastic restart in the last two decades thanks to the large number of new worlds discovered. The about 4100 exoplanets found so far, show a large diversity of planets, from hot giants to rocky planets orbiting small and cold stars. Most of them are very different from those of the Solar System and one of the striking case is that of the super-Earths, rocky planets with masses ranging between 1 and 10 M⊕ with dimensions up to twice those of Earth. In the right environment, these planets could be the cradle of alien life that could modify the chemical composition of their atmospheres. So, the search for life signatures requires as the first step the knowledge of planet atmospheres, the main objective of future exoplanetary space explorations. Indeed, the quest for the determination of the chemical composition of those planetary atmospheres rises also more general interest than that given by the mere directory of the atmospheric compounds. It opens out to the more general speculation on what such detection might tell us about the presence of life on those planets. As, for now, we have only one example of life in the universe, we are bound to study terrestrial organisms to assess possibilities of life on other planets and guide our search for possible extinct or extant life on other planetary bodies.
    [Show full text]
  • Telescope to Seek Dust Where Other Earths May Lie 22 January 2015, by Whitney Clavin
    Telescope to seek dust where other Earths may lie 22 January 2015, by Whitney Clavin The new instrument, based at the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory at the top of Mount Graham in southeastern Arizona, will obtain the best infrared images yet of dust permeating a star's habitable zone, the region around the star where water—an essential ingredient for life as we know it—could pool on a planet. Earth sits comfortably within our sun's habitable zone, hence its glistening surface of oceans. Scientists want to take pictures of exo-Earths and break up their light into a rainbow of colors. This color information is displayed in plots, called The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) spectra, which reveal chemical clues about whether instrument set its eyes on a dusty star system called Eta a planet could sustain life. But dust—which comes Corvi, depicted here in this artist's concept. Recent from colliding asteroids and evaporating collisions between comets and rocky bodies within the comets—can outshine the feeble light of a planet, star system are thought to have generated the surplus of making this task difficult. dust. Credit: Large Binocular Telescope Observatory "Imagine trying to view a firefly buzzing around a lighthouse in Canada from Los Angeles," said Denis Defrère of the University of Arizona, lead The NASA-funded Large Binocular Telescope author of the new study that appears in the Jan. 14 Interferometer, or LBTI, has completed its first issue of the Astrophysical Journal. "Now imagine study of dust in the "habitable zone" around a star, that fog is in the way.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Director's Message
    1 Director’s Message Markus Kissler-Patig 3 Weighing the Black Hole in M101 ULX-1 Stephen Justham and Jifeng Liu 8 World’s Most Powerful Planet Finder Turns its Eye to the Sky: First Light with the Gemini Planet Imager Bruce Macintosh and Peter Michaud 12 Science Highlights Nancy A. Levenson 15 Operations Corner: Update and 2013 Review Andy Adamson 20 Instrumentation Development: Update and 2013 Review Scot Kleinman ON THE COVER: GeminiFocus January 2014 The cover of this issue GeminiFocus is a quarterly publication of Gemini Observatory features first light images from the Gemini 670 N. A‘ohoku Place, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720 USA Planet Imager that Phone: (808) 974-2500 Fax: (808) 974-2589 were released at the Online viewing address: January 2014 meeting www.gemini.edu/geminifocus of the American Managing Editor: Peter Michaud Astronomical Society Science Editor: Nancy A. Levenson held in Washington, D.C. Associate Editor: Stephen James O’Meara See the press release Designer: Eve Furchgott / Blue Heron Multimedia that accompanied the images starting on Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations page 8 of this issue. expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Markus Kissler-Patig Director’s Message 2013: A Successful Year for Gemini! As 2013 comes to an end, we can look back at 12 very successful months for Gemini despite strong budget constraints. Indeed, 2013 was the first stage of our three-year transition to a reduced opera- tions budget, and it was marked by a roughly 20 percent cut in contributions from Gemini’s partner countries.
    [Show full text]
  • Exoplanet Meteorology: Characterizing the Atmospheres Of
    Exoplanet Meteorology: Characterizing the Atmospheres of Directly Imaged Sub-Stellar Objects by Abhijith Rajan A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Approved April 2017 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Jennifer Patience, Co-Chair Patrick Young, Co-Chair Paul Scowen Nathaniel Butler Evgenya Shkolnik ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY May 2017 ©2017 Abhijith Rajan All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT The field of exoplanet science has matured over the past two decades with over 3500 confirmed exoplanets. However, many fundamental questions regarding the composition, and formation mechanism remain unanswered. Atmospheres are a window into the properties of a planet, and spectroscopic studies can help resolve many of these questions. For the first part of my dissertation, I participated in two studies of the atmospheres of brown dwarfs to search for weather variations. To understand the evolution of weather on brown dwarfs we conducted a multi- epoch study monitoring four cool brown dwarfs to search for photometric variability. These cool brown dwarfs are predicted to have salt and sulfide clouds condensing in their upper atmosphere and we detected one high amplitude variable. Combining observations for all T5 and later brown dwarfs we note a possible correlation between variability and cloud opacity. For the second half of my thesis, I focused on characterizing the atmospheres of directly imaged exoplanets. In the first study Hubble Space Telescope data on HR8799, in wavelengths unobservable from the ground, provide constraints on the presence of clouds in the outer planets. Next, I present research done in collaboration with the Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey (GPIES) team including an exploration of the instrument contrast against environmental parameters, and an examination of the environment of the planet in the HD 106906 system.
    [Show full text]