Astrometric Camera for Detecting Brown Dwarfs and Gas Giants with the Du Pont Telescope

Carnegie Institution Of Washington, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

0352912--Boss/Carnegie Inst of Washington An astrometric camera will be built that will allow a long-term astrometric search for brown dwarfs and Jupiter-like extrasolar planets in orbit around nearby southern hemisphere stars. This search will reveal the presence of brown dwarfs or gas giant planets moving on long-period (5 year or more) orbits. Masses or upper limits to masses will be placed on extrasolar planets previously detected by radial velocity surveys of southern stars. The search for extrasolar planets is viewed with great interest by people both inside and outside the field of astronomy.