Automated Planet Finder Imminent

摘要

Because radial velocity measurement is so slow, both teams are aiming to develop new instruments and telescopes dedicated to planet searching. The HIRES team has built the Automated Planet Finder, a 2.4-meter telescope and spectrometer on Mount Hamilton near San Jose, California. Its spectrometer is about as sensitive as that of HIRES, and starting this month it will spend all night, every night looking for planets-taking 25 spectra per night.