Abstract

Contributed Talk - Splinter Exoplanets

Thursday, 16 September 2021, 16:15   (virtual Exo)

RedDots: All terrestrial planets within 5pc

S. V. Jeffers and S. Dreizler
Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Georg-August Universitaet Goettingen

The nearest exoplanets to the Sun provide the best possibilities for detailed study, including searching for evidence of life outside the Solar System. The RedDots planet search program aims to detect all terrestrial planets within 5pc, building on the success of our high-profile discoveries of Proxima b, Barnard’s star b and GJ 887 b and c. Our proven method uses long time-baseline, regular nightly-sampled HARPS radial velocity measurements supported by comprehensive photometry and spectroscopic activity indices. In this talk I will give an insight into the surprising challenges of detecting exoplanets and our updated planet occurrence rate of planets orbiting M dwarfs.