The Galactic Exoplanet Survey Telescope (GEST)
Abstract
The Galactic Exoplanet Survey Telescope (GEST) will observe a 2 square degree field in the Galactic bulge to search for extra-solar planets using a gravitational lensing technique. This gravitational lensing technique is the only method employing currently available technology that can detect Earth-mass planets at high signal-to-noise, and can measure the frequency of terrestrial planets as a function of Galactic position. GEST's sensitivity extends down to the mass of Mars, and it can detect hundreds of terrestrial planets with semi-major axes ranging from 0.7 AU to infinity. GEST will be the first truly comprehensive survey of the Galaxy for planets like those in our own Solar System.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0209435,
title = {The Galactic Exoplanet Survey Telescope (GEST)},
author = {D. P. Bennett and J. Bally and I. Bond and E. Cheng and K. Cook and D. Deming and P. Garnavich and K. Griest and D. Jewitt and N. Kaiser and T. Lauer and J. Lunine and G. Luppino and J. Mather and D. Minniti and S. Peale and S. Rhie and J. Rhodes and J. Schneider and G. Sonneborn and R. Stevenson and C. Stubbs and D. Tenerelli and N. Woolf and P. Yock},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0209435},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
17 pages with 13 figures, to be published in Proc. SPIE vol 4854, "Future EUV-UV and Visible Space Astrophysics Missions and Instrumentation"