==================================================================== VITAL STATISTICS OF A TRANSIT SEARCH PROGRAMME (Vulcan and Vulcan-S) ==================================================================== Programme: Vulcan URL: http://web99.arc.nasa.gov/~vulcan Institution(s): NASA Ames Research Center Leader(s): William Borucki Contact: Bill Borucki Aperture: 10.7 cm Focal Ratio: F/2.8 Focal Length: 300 mm Field of view: 7x7 degrees Number of CCDs: 1 CCD type: Spectral Instruments Camera, Kodak KAF 16800 CCD pixel format: 4096 x 4096 pixel size: 9 um, 6 arcsec Site: Lick Observatory, California, USA Dates: Nov 1997 - Present Field(s): Cygnus, Perseus, Auriga, Canes Venatici Clear nights: 105 (CYG, 3 seasons), 60 (PER, 2 seasons), ~60 (AUR, 3 seasons), 10 (CVn, 1 season) Candidates: candidate under analysis (Cyg), data under analysis (Auriga), 35 candidates observed with radial velocity & eliminated for various reasons (Dave Latham (SAO) is giving a talk at this [6/02] meeting about his work on the Vulcan candidates.) Status and Plans: Over the last two years, the camera, dome, and peripheral instruments have been modified for automatic and remote operation. Remote observations of previously targeted fields in Cygnus and Perseus were carried out from August through October 2001. Automation of the target acquisition and autoguiding systems was implemented in the first quarter of 2002. In June 2002, routine observations are expected to begin with the system operating every clear night. The system will be able to slew between multiple fields thereby increasing the number of stars being monitored per season. This summer, we will continue our coverage of the Kepler field-ov-view in Cygnus with two new fields. References or comments: Borucki, W. J., et al. 2001, PASP, vol 113, p. 439, "The Vulcan Photometer: A Dedicated Photometer for Extrasolar Planet Searches" Jenkins, J. M., et al. 2002, ApJ, vol 564, p 495, "Some Tests to Establish Confidence in Planets Discovered by Transit Photometry" ==================================================================== Updated: 2002.06.15 ==================================================================== Programme: Vulcan-South (South Pole transit search) URL: http://web99.arc.nasa.gov/~vulcan/south Institution(s): SETI Institute, NASA Ames Research Center, Rochester Institute of Technology Leader(s): Douglas Caldwell, Bill Borucki, Zoran Ninkov Contact: Doug Caldwell Aperture: 20.3 cm Focal Ratio: F/1.5 Focal Length: 305 mm Field of view: 6.9 x 6.9 degrees Number of CCDs: 1 CCD type: Kodak KAF16800 (front-illuminated) pixel format: 4096 x 4096 pixel size: 9 um, 6.1 arcsec Site: South Pole Station, Antarctica Dates: 2004 & 2005, May-Sept Field(s): Southern Milky Way near Crucis (l ~ 300, b ~ -10) Clear nights: 50/season (expected given 50% weather) Candidates: Future observations Status and Plans: References or comments: ==================================================================== Updated: 2003.06.26