MOSES - MONET Star and Exoplanet Spectrograph

• Subject Area: Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: Funded in 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 460114229

We propose the MONET Star and Exoplanet Spectrograph (MOSES), a High-Resolution Echelle Spectrograph for the 1.2m MONET telescope that we are operating at Mc Donald observatory, Texas, USA. The main purpose of the new instrument is a long-term spectroscopic monitoring program of sun-like stars. Several hundred bright stars will be monitored at high Doppler precision but short exposure times, for which a great potential exists at small telescopes.Our main goal is to improve our understanding of planet populations around stars, which includes the formation of star-planet systems and whether the solar system we live in is typical or an exception. Our immediate goal is to determine the fraction of stars with planets on orbits like Jupiter or Saturn, which requires requires long-term legacy surveys like the one proposed here. Approximately 8000 spectra shall be taken with the new spectrograph per year. With the same data we will carry out long-term activity monitoring of the stars through investigation of stellar chromospheres. This is important for understanding activity-related stellar variability including magnetic cycles. Our observations will sample timescales of activity cycles as known from the Sun. The instrument configuration is featuring a spectral Resolution of 80,000 over a large wavelength range of 380-680nm for two fibers – one forthe calibration light and one for the stellar light. The proposed Instrument ideally serves our long-term scientific plans by utilizing the existing MONET facility and infrastructure.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: MONET Star and Exoplanet Spectrograph
• Instrumentation Group: 0760 Astronomische Auswertegeräte
• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• Leader: Professor Dr. Ansgar Reiners