Suppression of astronomical sources using the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope and starshades with flight-like optics

Megan C. Novicki; Steven Warwick; Daniel K. Smith; Michael C. Richards; Anthony Harness

doi:10.1117/12.2233628

13 December 2016 Suppression of astronomical sources using the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope and starshades with flight-like optics

Megan C. Novicki, Steven Warwick, Daniel K. Smith, Michael C. Richards, Anthony Harness

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9904, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave; 990426 (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2233628
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2016, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract

The external starshade is a method for the direct detection and spectral characterization of terrestrial planets around other stars, a key goal identified in ASTRO2010. Tests of starshades have been and continue to be conducted in the lab and in the field using non-collimated light sources. We extend the current approach to performing night-time observations of astronomical objects using small-scale (10-30cm) starshades and the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. This configuration allows us to make measurements of stars with a Fresnel number close to those expected in proposed full-scale space configurations. We present the results of our engineering runs conducted in 2015.

Citation Download Citation

Megan C. Novicki, Steven Warwick, Daniel K. Smith, Michael C. Richards, and Anthony Harness "Suppression of astronomical sources using the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope and starshades with flight-like optics", Proc. SPIE 9904, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 990426 (13 December 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2233628

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