ASTEP 400: a telescope designed for exoplanet transit detection from Dome C, Antarctica

Jean-Baptiste Daban; Carole Gouvret; Tristan Guillot; Abdelkrim Agabi; Nicolas Crouzet; Jean-Pierre Rivet; Djamel Mekarnia; Lyu Abe; Erick Bondoux; Yan Fanteï-Caujolle; François Fressin; François-Xavier Schmider; Franck Valbousquet; Pierre-Eric Blanc; Auguste Le Van Suu; Heike Rauer; Anders Erikson; Frederic Pont; Suzanne Aigrain

doi:10.1117/12.854946

10 August 2010 ASTEP 400: a telescope designed for exoplanet transit detection from Dome C, Antarctica

Jean-Baptiste Daban, Carole Gouvret, Tristan Guillot, Abdelkrim Agabi, Nicolas Crouzet, Jean-Pierre Rivet, Djamel Mekarnia, Lyu Abe, Erick Bondoux, Yan Fanteï-Caujolle, François Fressin, François-Xavier Schmider, Franck Valbousquet, Pierre-Eric Blanc, Auguste Le Van Suu, Heike Rauer, Anders Erikson, Frederic Pont, Suzanne Aigrain

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7733, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes III; 77334T (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.854946
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2010, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The Concordia Base in Dome C, Antarctica, is an extremely promising site for photometric astronomy due to the 3- month long night during the Antarctic winter, favorable weather conditions, and low scintillation. The ASTEP project (Antarctic Search for Transiting ExoPlanets) is a pilot project which seeks to identify transiting planets and understand the limits of visible photometry from this site. ASTEP 400 is an optical 40cm telescope with a field of view of 1° x 1°. The expected photometric sensitivity is 1E-3, per hour for at least 1,000 stars. The optical design guarantees high homogeneity of the PSF sizes in the field of view. The use of carbon fibers in the telescope structure guarantees high stability. The focal optics and the detectors are enclosed in a thermally regulated box which withstands extremely low temperatures. The telescope designed to run at -80°C (-110°F) was set up at Dome C during the southern summer 2009- 2010. It began its nightly observations in March 2010.

Citation Download Citation

Jean-Baptiste Daban, Carole Gouvret, Tristan Guillot, Abdelkrim Agabi, Nicolas Crouzet, Jean-Pierre Rivet, Djamel Mekarnia, Lyu Abe, Erick Bondoux, Yan Fanteï-Caujolle, François Fressin, François-Xavier Schmider, Franck Valbousquet, Pierre-Eric Blanc, Auguste Le Van Suu, Heike Rauer, Anders Erikson, Frederic Pont, and Suzanne Aigrain "ASTEP 400: a telescope designed for exoplanet transit detection from Dome C, Antarctica", Proc. SPIE 7733, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes III, 77334T (10 August 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.854946

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available