JPL: Stellar Dust Survey Paves Way for Exoplanet Missions

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JPL: Stellar Dust Survey Paves Way for Exoplanet Missions

Post by bystander » Wed Apr 25, 2018 6:28 pm

Stellar Dust Survey Paves Way for Exoplanet Missions
NASA | JPL-Caltech | 2018 Apr 25
Veils of dust wrapped around distant stars could make it difficult for scientists to find potentially habitable planets in those star systems. The Hunt for Observable Signatures of Terrestrial Systems, or HOSTS, survey was tasked with learning more about the effect of dust on the search for new worlds. The goal is to help guide the design of future planet-hunting missions. In a new paper published in the Astrophysical Journal, HOSTS scientists report on the survey's initial findings.

Using the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer, or LBTI, on Mount Graham in Arizona, the HOSTS survey determines the brightness of warm dust floating in the orbital planes of other stars (called exozodiacal dust). In particular, HOSTS has studied dust in nearby stars' habitable zones, where liquid water could exist on the surface of a planet. The LBTI is five to 10 times more sensitive than the previous telescope capable of detecting exozodiacal dust, the Keck Interferometer Nuller.

Among the findings detailed in the new paper, the HOSTS scientists report that a majority of Sun-like stars in their survey do not possess high levels of dust -- good news for future efforts to study potentially-habitable planets around those stars. A final report on the full HOSTS survey results is expected early next year. ...

Survey Seen as Steppingstone for Astronomy
University of Arizona | 2018 Apr 25

The HOSTS Survey — Exozodiacal Dust Measurements for 30 Stars - S. Ertel et al
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