XO Project

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The XO Project is an international team of amateur and professional astronomers tasked with identifying extrasolar planets. They are led by Peter McCullough of the Space Telescope Science Institute.[1] It is primarily funded by NASA's Origins Program and the Director's Discretionary Fund of the Space Telescope Science Institute.[2][3]

Duties

Preliminary identification of possible star candidates starts at the Haleakala telescope in Hawaii by a team of professional astronomers. Once they identify a star that dims slightly from time to time, the information is forwarded to a team of amateur astronomers who then investigate for additional evidence suggesting this dimming is caused by a transiting planet. Once enough data is collected, it is forwarded to the University of Texas McDonald Observatory to confirm the presence of a transiting planet by a second team of professional astronomers.[2]

Equipment

McCullough and his team employed a relatively inexpensive telescope called an XO Telescope, made from commercial equipment, to search for extrasolar planets. This telescope consists of two 200-millimeter telephoto camera lenses, and resembles binoculars in shape. It stands on the summit of the Haleakalā volcano in Hawaii.[1] Their first discovery of a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a Sun-like star 600 light-years from Earth in the constellation Corona Borealis—XO-1b—was reported May 16, 2006 on Newswise.

Discoveries

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Astronomers Catch Planet By Unusual Means, Space Daily
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 XO-3b: Supersized planet or oasis in the 'brown dwarf desert'?, EurekAlert!
  3. ↑ Astronomers Use Innovative Technique to Find Extrasolar Planet, HubbleSite
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