The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Astronomical Sciences awarded a $537,856 Project Grant to President and Fellows of Harvard College (Harvard University) under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049). This 3-year grant will fund a survey using the Tierras Observatory, a 1.3-meter ultra-precise photometric telescope located at the F.L. Whipple Observatory in Arizona. The survey aims to detect small, temperate terrestrial exoplanets as small as Mercury and search for exomoons and exo-rings around known exoplanets. Additionally, the project will measure the rotation periods of low-mass stars to better understand the irradiation environment of their exoplanets. The grant will provide training opportunities for students and fellows, and outreach activities to engage middle and high school students from border towns in Arizona. This project addresses key gaps in the study of smaller, cooler exoplanets and their planetary systems, which current observatories have struggled to characterize.
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