there is a new “hunter” of planets with Portuguese DNA on the ESO 3.6 meter telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile. NIRPS (Near Infrared High Resolution Spectrograph) account with the participation of the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA) and is already operational.
How do you explain Alexandre Cabral, researcher in charge of the AI Astronomy Instrumentation and Systems Teamin a statement, the AI was responsible for designing, building and testing the new planet hunter’s ADC (Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector).
The NIRPS adaptive optics system allows Simulate space-like conditions on Earthcanceling out the effects of our planet’s turbulence and increasing the accuracy of the instrument.
Click on the images for more details
-
NIRPS: There is a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. Concept drawing showing the NIRPS instrument installed on ESO’s 3.6-meter telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile. | Credits: ESO/NIRPS Consortium.
” data-title=”NIRPS: There’s a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. – There is a new “hunter” of planets with Portuguese DNA and he has already started capturing his first images – SAPO Brasil”>
-
NIRPS: There is a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. Diagram of the NIRPS “Front End” where we can see the ADC (Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector) whose design, construction and tests were carried out by the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences. | Credits: NIRPS Consortium.
” data-title=”NIRPS: There’s a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. – There is a new “hunter” of planets with Portuguese DNA and he has already started capturing his first images – SAPO Brasil”>
-
NIRPS: There is a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. Photo of the NIRPS instrument and its adaptive optics system. The “golden” component, almost in the center, is the ADC, which was designed, built and tested by the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences. | Credits: N. Blind (Geneva Observatory)/NIRPS Consortium/ESO.
” data-title=”NIRPS: There’s a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. – There is a new “hunter” of planets with Portuguese DNA and he has already started capturing his first images – SAPO Brasil”>
-
NIRPS: There is a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. Photo of the NIRPS cooling system. To operate in the infrared band, the NIRPS must be maintained at very low temperatures. The optical components are installed inside the cryogenic chamber, where they are kept under vacuum and at a temperature of approximately minus 190º C. | Credits: F. Bouchy (Geneva Observatory)/NIRPS Consortium/ESO.
” data-title=”NIRPS: There’s a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. – There is a new “hunter” of planets with Portuguese DNA and he has already started capturing his first images – SAPO Brasil”>
-
NIRPS: There is a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. Screenshot of the arrival of the first NIRPS raw data. | Credit: NIRPS Consortium.
” data-title=”NIRPS: There’s a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. – There is a new “hunter” of planets with Portuguese DNA and he has already started capturing his first images – SAPO Brasil”>
-
NIRPS: There is a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. First raw data, obtained by NIRPS, of the spectrum of Barnard’s star. Each line corresponds to a narrow region of light where the star’s absorption lines and the absorption of the Earth’s atmosphere are visible. The dotted lines are what is called the comb spectrum, a “ruler” that serves as a reference wavelength for the other lines. | Credits: ESO/NIRPS Consortium
” data-title=”NIRPS: There’s a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. – There is a new “hunter” of planets with Portuguese DNA and he has already started capturing his first images – SAPO Brasil”>
-
NIRPS: There is a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. Dome of the ESO 3.6 meter telescope at the La Silla Observatory (Chile). | Credits: Zdeněk Bardon (bardon.cz)/ESO.
” data-title=”NIRPS: There’s a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. – There is a new “hunter” of planets with Portuguese DNA and he has already started capturing his first images – SAPO Brasil”>
-
NIRPS: There is a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. ESO 3.6 meter telescope | Credits: ESO/José Francisco Salgado (josefrancisco.org).
” data-title=”NIRPS: There’s a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. – There is a new “hunter” of planets with Portuguese DNA and he has already started capturing his first images – SAPO Brasil”>
-
NIRPS: There is a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. NIRPS and its adaptive optics system are installed under the 3.6 meter main mirror of the ESO telescope, visible at the bottom of the photo. Credits: Credit: F. Bouchy (Geneva Observatory)/NIRPS Consortium/ESO.
” data-title=”NIRPS: There’s a new planet hunter with Portuguese DNA. – There is a new “hunter” of planets with Portuguese DNA and he has already started capturing his first images – SAPO Brasil”>
The purpose of the spectrograph is to help scientists study rocky exoplanets, which are thought to be be the key to deciphering planetary formation and evolution. According to the researchers, observations made using the NIPRS could also provide clues to the composition of such planets and allow the search for signs of life in their atmospheres.
“NIRPS will allow obtain highly accurate spectra at infrared wavelengthswhich complement the data we currently collect in the visible, with spectrographs such as HARPS [High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher]at La Silla, or the ESPRESSO, on the VLT [Very Large Telescope]”, says Nuno Cardoso Santos, principal investigator of the IA Planetary Systems team.
The instrument will be used to “discover new planets around red dwarfs”, details Elisa Delgado-Mena, researcher at AI and University of Portoadding that “because they are cooler stars, they are easier to study in the infrared”.
The study of stars is another of the areas covered by this instrument, paving the “way to explore a new spectral regionwith a very relevant impact on the study of exoplanets and stellar astrophysics,” emphasizes Nuno Cardoso Santos.
