NEAT: Nearby Earth Astrometric Telescope
Abstract
NEAT (Nearby Earth Astrometric Telescope) is a candidate space mission whose goal is an exhaustive astrometric search of exoplanets down to 1 M⊕ around all F, G,K stars within 25 pc. As the astrometric technique is more sensitive to larger periods, the habitable zone around these Sun-like stars will be uniquely explored. This 5-year census will deliver the true mass and orbital parameters of possible Earth analogs, and build up a unique reservoir of Earth-like planets within the habitable zone of their parent star for future spectroscopic missions. The mission concept is based on a long-focal length (up to 40 m) telescope with a 1-m primary mirror. The astrometric position of the science PSF relatively to background reference stars can be monitored to an ultimate accuracy of 0.03 μas over the duration of the mission, which corresponds the astrometric signature of an Earth around a Sun at 10 pc. Already proposed as an M-mission in response to the ESA call for M3, the project will be further refined to become a candidate for the ESA M4 call-for-mission.
- Publication:
-
European Planetary Science Congress
- Pub Date:
- April 2014
- Bibcode:
- 2014EPSC....9..794M