How many bright stars of the night sky harbour planets?

夜空中有多少颗明亮的星星拥有行星？

• 批准号: DP1094977
• 负责人: Prof Michael Ireland
• 金额: $ 21.58万
• 依托单位: Macquarie University
• 依托单位国家: 澳大利亚
• 项目类别: Discovery Projects
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 澳大利亚
• 起止时间: 2010-01-14 至 2013-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://dataportal.arc.gov.au/RGS/Web/Grants/DP1094977
• 关键词: How; many; bright; stars; night

The search for planets around stars is one of the grand endeavours that defines the modern era of astronomy. This project will develop two innovative technologies that will lead this field into new observational terrain: high-contrast aperture masking interferometry at large telescopes, and very narrow angle astrometry at the Sydney University Stellar Interferometer. These new instruments will enable the search for planets around the bright intermediate-mass stars of our southern sky, and will target the critical orbital scales of planets at solar-system scale separations. This encompasses the habitable zone where conditions could support life, and the sample will have immediate impact on fundamental questions of planetary formation.

在恒星周围寻找行星是定义现代天文学时代的巨大努力之一。该项目将开发两种创新技术，这些技术将把这一领域带入新的观察地形：大型望远镜的高对比度孔掩蔽干涉仪，以及悉尼大学恒星干涉仪的非常狭窄的角度天文测量。这些新仪器将使我们能够在我们南部天空的明亮中间质量恒星周围寻找行星，并将针对太阳系量表分离的行星的关键轨道尺度。这涵盖了可居住的区域，在这里可以维持生命，样本将立即对行星形成的基本问题产生影响。