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Gemini e-Newscast #58
April 24, 2014
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An Earth-Sized Planet in the Habitable Zone
The first Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of another star has been confirmed by observations with both Gemini Observatory and the W. M. Keck Observatory. The initial discovery, made by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope, is one of a handful of smaller planets known (including four others in this system alone). This work, led by Elisa Quintana (SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center), confirms that Earth-sized planets do exist in the habitable zone of other stars. The observations from Gemini North utilized the visiting Differential Speckle Survey Instrument (DSSI) and allowed the team to rule out confusion by sources within four astronomical units of the parent star. A Gemini press release is posted, and the full paper is published in the current issue of the journal Science.
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Artist’s concept of the newly discovered Earth-sized planet (Kepler-186f) in the habitable-zone of its host M1-type dwarf star. Credit: NASA Ames/SETI Institute/JPL-CalTech.
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New CCDs at Gemini South
The new Hamamatsu CCDs for GMOS are now at Gemini South. They are currently undergoing testing on Cerro Pachón. GMOS will be off the Gemini South telescope from late May, while the CCDs are installed. Some performance information about the new CCDs is available at http://www.gemini.edu/node/10625?q=node/11395.
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Quantum efficiency (QE) of new GMOS CCDs (in red, green, and blue) as a function of wavelength, compared with the current E2V variety.
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Latest GeminiFocus Published
The first 2014 quarterly issue of GeminiFocus is now published. This issue is available as a PDF download and in e-reader format. In addition to a more complete explanation of the Earth-sized habitable planet result and an in-depth review of progress on the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), other highlights include reports on recent public information and outreach activities, along with regular updates on operations and instrumentation.
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