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The GAIA Astrometric Survey of Extra-Solar Planets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 September 2002

O. Bienaymé ,
C. Turon ,
M. G. Lattanzi ,
S. Casertano ,
A. Sozzetti  and
A. Spagna
M. G. Lattanzi
Affiliation:
Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino, 10025 Pino Torinese, Italy
S. Casertano
Affiliation:
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
A. Sozzetti
Affiliation:
Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino, 10025 Pino Torinese, Italy University of Pittsburgh, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
A. Spagna
Affiliation:
Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino, 10025 Pino Torinese, Italy
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Abstract

The ESA Cornerstone Mission GAIA, to be launched prior to 2012 and witha nominal lifetime of 5 years, will improve the accuracy of Hipparcosastrometry by more than two orders of magnitude.GAIA high-precision global astrometric measurements will provide deep insightson the science of extra-solar planets. The GAIA contribution is primarilyunderstood in terms of the number and spectral type of targets availablefor investigation, and characteristics of the planets to be searched for.Several hundreds of thousands of solar-type stars (F-G-K) within a sphereof ~200 pc centered on our Sun will be observed. GAIA will be particularlysensitive to giant planets (MP ~ MJ)on wide orbits, up to periods twice as large as the mission duration, thepotential signposts of the existence of rocky planets in the Habitable Zone.Thousands of new planets might be discovered, and a significant fractionof those which will be detected will have orbital parameters measured tobetter than 30% accuracy. By measuring to a few degreesthe relative inclinations of planets in multiple systems with favorableconfigurations, GAIA will also make measurements of unique value towards abetter understanding of the formation and evolution processes of planetarysystems.

Type
Research Article
Information
European Astronomical Society Publications Series , Volume 2: GAIA: A European Space Project , 2002 , pp. 207 - 214
Copyright
© EAS, EDP Sciences, 2002

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