CHEOPS Under Construction

摘要

If all goes as planned, by 2017 European astronomers will launch a spacecraft to look at transits of nearby bright stars already known to harbor planets. Characterizing Exoplanets Satellite (CHEOPS)-chosen for development by the European Space Agency in 2012-is designed to reveal in detail the nature of those planets. High-precision measurements by the satellite should help astronomers nail down planet sizes. Combined with radial velocity observations from the ground, which provide the mass of these planets, the observations will help figure out how dense they are.