No Arabic abstract
ESAs Gaia space astrometry mission is performing an all-sky survey of stellar objects. At the beginning of the nominal mission in July 2014, an operation scheme was adopted that enabled Gaia to routinely acquire observations of all stars brighter than the original limit of G~6, i.e. the naked-eye stars. Here, we describe the current status and extent of those observations and their on-ground processing. We present an overview of the data products generated for G<6 stars and the potential scientific applications. Finally, we discuss how the Gaia survey could be enhanced by further exploiting the techniques we developed.
While the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a uniquely powerful telescope, its impact in certain fields of astrophysics has been limited by observatory policies rather than the telescopes innate technical capabilities. In particular, several observatory policies present challenges for observations of variable, mobile, and/or transient sources --- collectively referred to here as time-domain observations. In this whitepaper we identify some of these policies, describe the scientific applications they impair, and suggest changes that would increase ALMAs science impact in Cycle 6 and beyond. Parties interested in time-domain science with ALMA are encouraged to join the ALMA Time-domain Special Interest Group (ATSIG) by signing up for the ATSIG mailing list at https://groups.google.com/group/alma-td-sig .
The field of exoplanetary science has emerged over the past two decades, rising up alongside traditional solar system planetary science. Both fields focus on understanding the processes which form and sculpt planets through time, yet there has been less scientific exchange between the two communities than is ideal. This white paper explores some of the institutional and cultural barriers which impede cross-discipline collaborations and suggests solutions that would foster greater collaboration. Some solutions require structural or policy changes within NASA itself, while others are directed towards other institutions, including academic publishers, that can also facilitate greater interdisciplinarity.
Ariel, the Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey, was adopted as the fourth medium-class mission in ESAs Cosmic Vision programme to be launched in 2029. During its 4-year mission, Ariel will study what exoplanets are made of, how they formed and how they evolve, by surveying a diverse sample of about 1000 extrasolar planets, simultaneously in visible and infrared wavelengths. It is the first mission dedicated to measuring the chemical composition and thermal structures of hundreds of transiting exoplanets, enabling planetary science far beyond the boundaries of the Solar System. The payload consists of an off-axis Cassegrain telescope (primary mirror 1100 mm x 730 mm ellipse) and two separate instruments (FGS and AIRS) covering simultaneously 0.5-7.8 micron spectral range. The satellite is best placed into an L2 orbit to maximise the thermal stability and the field of regard. The payload module is passively cooled via a series of V-Groove radiators; the detectors for the AIRS are the only items that require active cooling via an active Ne JT cooler. The Ariel payload is developed by a consortium of more than 50 institutes from 16 ESA countries, which include the UK, France, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Spain, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, and a NASA contribution.
On the 19th of December 2013, the Gaia spacecraft was successfully launched by a Soyuz rocket from French Guiana and started its amazing journey to map and characterise one billion celestial objects with its one billion pixel camera. In this presentation, we briefly review the general aims of the mission and describe what has happened since launch, including the Ecliptic Pole scanning mode. We also focus especially on binary stars, starting with some basic observational aspects, and then turning to the remarkable harvest that Gaia is expected to yield for these objects.
We report on the confirmation and mass determination of Pi Men c, the first transiting planet discovered by NASAs TESS space mission. Pi Men is a naked-eye (V=5.65 mag), quiet G0 V star that was previously known to host a sub-stellar companion (Pi Men b) on a long-period (Porb = 2091 days), eccentric (e = 0.64) orbit. Using TESS time-series photometry, combined with Gaia data, published UCLES@AAT Doppler measurements, and archival
[email protected] radial velocities, we found that Pi Men c is a close-in planet with an orbital period of Porb = 6.27 days, a mass of Mc = 4.52 +/- 0.81 MEarth, and a radius of Rc = 2.06 +/- 0.03 REarth. Based on the planets orbital period and size, Pi Men c is a super-Earth located at, or close to, the radius gap, while its mass and bulk density suggest it may have held on to a significant atmosphere. Because of the brightness of the host star, this system is highly suitable for a wide range of further studies to characterize the planetary atmosphere and dynamical properties. We also performed an asteroseismic analysis of the TESS data and detected a hint of power excess consistent with the seismic values expected for this star, although this result depends on the photometric aperture used to extract the light curve. This marginal detection is expected from pre-launch simulations hinting at the asteroseismic potential of the TESS mission for longer, multi-sector observations and/or for more evolved bright stars.