Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21331001m&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #213, #310.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.285
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Astrometry is a powerful tool for detecting and characterizing exoplanet systems. Only astrometry can detect habitable earthlike planets around nearby sunlike stars while simultaneously measuring the planet masses, the most fundamental quantity for characterizing exoplanets.
The 2008 Exoplanet Forum Committee on Astrometry strongly supports the recommendations of the Exoplanet Task Force (ExoPTF) Report and the past three Decadal Surveys. The Committee's highest priority is to deploy a facility for micro-arcsecond astrometry of nearby stars during the 2010-2020 decade, with primary goals of finding earthlike planets and characterizing the structures of planetary systems. A micro-arcsecond astrometry program will support a variety of science programs outside the field of exoplanets; the Committee strongly supports a mission design that will enable these non-exoplanet related research efforts. The technology development efforts of the past few decades have provided a system architecture capable of this micro-arcsecond astrometry goal. The key technology milestones have been achieved. It is now time to deploy the facility itself.
The ExoPTF also made several smaller recommendations for the role of astrometry in exoplanet studies over the next decade. These secondary science programs have more modest budgets, but make smaller contributions to the understanding of planetary systems. A number of these secondary science goals are supported by the committee, which finds that these should be pursued, but only if doing so will not delay the deployment of the highest priority micro-arcsecond astrometry mission.
Forum 2008 Astrometry Committee Exoplanet
Muterspaugh Matthew W.
Tanner Alan
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