Project PANOPTES: a citizen-scientist exoplanet transit survey using commercial digital cameras

Wilfred T. Gee; Olivier Guyon; Josh Walawender; Nemanja Jovanovic; Luc Boucher

doi:10.1117/12.2234461

Project PANOPTES: a citizen-scientist exoplanet transit survey using commercial digital cameras

Wilfred T. Gee^*, Olivier Guyon, Josh Walawender, Nemanja Jovanovic, Luc Boucher

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference proceeding contribution › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Project PANOPTES (http://www.projectpanoptes.org) is aimed at establishing a collaboration between professional astronomers, citizen scientists and schools to discover a large number of exoplanets with the transit technique. We have developed digital camera based imaging units to cover large parts of the sky and look for exoplanet transits. Each unit costs approximately $5000 USD and runs automatically every night. By using low-cost, commercial digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, we have developed a uniquely cost-efficient system for wide field astronomical imaging, offering approximately two orders of magnitude better etendue per unit of cost than professional wide-field surveys. Both science and outreach, our vision is to have thousands of these units built by schools and citizen scientists gathering data, making this project the most productive exoplanet discovery machine in the world.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Ground-based and airborne instrumentation for astronomy VI
Editors	Christopher J. Evans, Luc Simard, Hideki Takami
Place of Publication	Bellingham, Washington
Publisher	SPIE
Pages	1-9
Number of pages	9
ISBN (Electronic)	9781510601963
ISBN (Print)	9781510601956
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2234461
Publication status	Published - 2016
Event	Ground-Based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VI - Edinburgh, United Kingdom Duration: 26 Jun 2016 → 30 Jun 2016

Publication series

Name	Proceedings of SPIE
Publisher	SPIE
Volume	9908
ISSN (Print)	0277-786X
ISSN (Electronic)	1996-756X

Other

Other	Ground-Based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VI
Country/Territory	United Kingdom
City	Edinburgh
Period	26/06/16 → 30/06/16

Keywords

Citizen science
DSLR cameras
Education and outreach
Exoplanet survey
Open source
Time-domain astronomy
Transit method

Access to Document

10.1117/12.2234461

Cite this

Gee, W. T., Guyon, O., Walawender, J., Jovanovic, N., & Boucher, L. (2016). Project PANOPTES: a citizen-scientist exoplanet transit survey using commercial digital cameras. In C. J. Evans, L. Simard, & H. Takami (Eds.), Ground-based and airborne instrumentation for astronomy VI (pp. 1-9). Article 99085V (Proceedings of SPIE; Vol. 9908). SPIE. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2234461

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abstract = "Project PANOPTES (http://www.projectpanoptes.org) is aimed at establishing a collaboration between professional astronomers, citizen scientists and schools to discover a large number of exoplanets with the transit technique. We have developed digital camera based imaging units to cover large parts of the sky and look for exoplanet transits. Each unit costs approximately $5000 USD and runs automatically every night. By using low-cost, commercial digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, we have developed a uniquely cost-efficient system for wide field astronomical imaging, offering approximately two orders of magnitude better etendue per unit of cost than professional wide-field surveys. Both science and outreach, our vision is to have thousands of these units built by schools and citizen scientists gathering data, making this project the most productive exoplanet discovery machine in the world.",

keywords = "Citizen science, DSLR cameras, Education and outreach, Exoplanet survey, Open source, Time-domain astronomy, Transit method",

author = "Gee, {Wilfred T.} and Olivier Guyon and Josh Walawender and Nemanja Jovanovic and Luc Boucher",

year = "2016",

doi = "10.1117/12.2234461",

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series = "Proceedings of SPIE",

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pages = "1--9",

editor = "Evans, {Christopher J.} and Luc Simard and Hideki Takami",

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note = "Ground-Based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VI ; Conference date: 26-06-2016 Through 30-06-2016",

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Gee, WT, Guyon, O, Walawender, J, Jovanovic, N & Boucher, L 2016, Project PANOPTES: a citizen-scientist exoplanet transit survey using commercial digital cameras. in CJ Evans, L Simard & H Takami (eds), Ground-based and airborne instrumentation for astronomy VI., 99085V, Proceedings of SPIE, vol. 9908, SPIE, Bellingham, Washington, pp. 1-9, Ground-Based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VI, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 26/06/16. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2234461

Project PANOPTES: a citizen-scientist exoplanet transit survey using commercial digital cameras. / Gee, Wilfred T.; Guyon, Olivier; Walawender, Josh et al.
Ground-based and airborne instrumentation for astronomy VI. ed. / Christopher J. Evans; Luc Simard; Hideki Takami. Bellingham, Washington: SPIE, 2016. p. 1-9 99085V (Proceedings of SPIE; Vol. 9908).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference proceeding contribution › peer-review

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AU - Boucher, Luc

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AB - Project PANOPTES (http://www.projectpanoptes.org) is aimed at establishing a collaboration between professional astronomers, citizen scientists and schools to discover a large number of exoplanets with the transit technique. We have developed digital camera based imaging units to cover large parts of the sky and look for exoplanet transits. Each unit costs approximately $5000 USD and runs automatically every night. By using low-cost, commercial digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, we have developed a uniquely cost-efficient system for wide field astronomical imaging, offering approximately two orders of magnitude better etendue per unit of cost than professional wide-field surveys. Both science and outreach, our vision is to have thousands of these units built by schools and citizen scientists gathering data, making this project the most productive exoplanet discovery machine in the world.

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KW - Education and outreach

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KW - Open source

KW - Time-domain astronomy

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ER -

Project PANOPTES: a citizen-scientist exoplanet transit survey using commercial digital cameras

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