================================================================== VITAL STATISTICS OF A TRANSIT SEARCH PROGRAMME ================================================================== Programme: EXPLORE (EXtra-solar PLanet REsearch) Project URL: http://www.ciw.edu/seager/EXPLORE/explore.htm Institution(s): Carnegie-DTM, University of Toronto, CfA Leaders(s): Gabriela Mallen-Ornelas, Sara Seager (Southern Search) and Howard Yee (Northern Search) Contact: Gabriela Mallen-Ornelas __Northern Search: Aperture: 3.6 m (Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope) Focal Ratio: f/4.18 (prime focus) Focal Length: 15 m Field of view: 42'x28' Number of CCDs: 12 CCD type: MIT/LL CCID20 pixel format: 2048x4096 pixel size: 0.206" Site: Mauna Kea, Hawaii Field(s): EXPLORE II (l = 203, b = 0.7) __Southern Search: Aperture: 4.0 m (CTIO) Focal Ratio: f/2.87 (prime focus) Focal Length: 11.5 m Field of view: 36'x36' Number of CCDs: 8 CCD type: SITe pixel format: 2048x4096 pixel size: 0.27" Site: Cerro Tololo, Chile Field(s): EXPLORE I (l = -27.8, b = -2.7) Status and Plans: Nights of data acquired in 2002: 18 (6 clear) Nights of 2002 data analysed: 18 Planetary transit candidates thereby found: 0 Nights of data hoped for in 2003: 18 (7 clear) Candidates with follow-up spectroscopy: 5* ruled out: 1 probably ruled out: 1 upper mass limit: 2 not enough phase information: 1 * All candidates are from 2001 data. Our strategy is to observe a single field in the Galactic plane with ~3 minute time sampling for as many consecutive nights as possible. Data are reduced and searched for transits within weeks and radial velocity follow-up is conducted in the same season. Will attempt to confirm current candidates; will conduct new observing campaigns on new fields using the same strategy. (TAC and weather permitting!) References or comments: Mallen-Ornelas et al. 2002, astro-ph/0203218 ================================================================== Updated: 2003.08.08