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En la búsqueda de nuevas supertierras: el instrumento CRIRES+ instalado en el Very Large Telescope de ESO ve su primera luz
1 de Febrero de 2021
Desde su primera luz en el 2006, el espectrógrafo CRIRES de alta resolución en el infrarrojo instalado en el Very Large Telescope (VLT) de ESO, ha llevado a cabo una serie de interesantes descubrimientos científicos. El nuevo y mejorado CRIRES+, el cual ahora ha visto su primera luz, desarrollará el trabajo de su predecesor y buscará exoplanetas tipo supertierra potencialmente habitables.
CRIRES+, un instrumento construido por ESO en colaboración con un consorcio de institutos europeos, buscará en el cielo supertierras ubicadas dentro de las zonas habitables de estrellas cercanas de baja masa, es decir, el rango de órbitas planetarias dentro de las cuales según los científicos un planeta puede albergar vida. Este tipo de planetas son difíciles de detectar debido a sus masas relativamente bajas. Con CRIRES+, los científicos estarán mejor equipados para buscar estas supertierras, dado que podrán sondear la mayoría de las estrellas de nuestro vecindario estelar. Otros objetivos científicos de CRIRES+ incluyen el estudio de la atmósfera de exoplanetas en tránsito y el origen y evolución de campos magnéticos estelares.
La instalación del instrumento en el VLT del Observatorio Paranal de ESO en Chile se realizó en febrero del año pasado, con la expectativa de que viera su primera luz poco tiempo después. Sin embargo, la pandemia del COVID-19 obligó a retrasar las primeras observaciones de prueba, las cuales en un principio ESO programó de forma remota desde su sede central en Garching.
CRIRES+ se basa en su predecesor, CRIRES. Siglas de CRyogenic high-resolution InfraRed Echelle Spectrograph (Espectrógrafo criogénico Echelle de alta resolución en el infrarrojo). CRIRES se instaló en el VLT el 2006. Es un espectrógrafo, un instrumento que divide la luz infrarroja entrante en sus distintos colores, y es asistido por un módulo de óptica adaptativa, el cual corrige las distorsiones de imagen que pueden surgir debido a la atmósfera turbulenta de la Tierra.
Ahora, casi quince años después, CRIRES ha recibido una importante actualización que ha transformado este instrumento del VLT y ha renovado su sistema de óptica adaptativa. “La actualización aumenta diez veces la gama de longitud de onda que puede cubrirse simultáneamente”, según afirma el director de proyectos de ESO para CRIRES+, Reinhold Dorn. Él agrega “CRIRES+ está accediendo a un espacio del parámetro en su mayor parte inexplorado por el VLT hasta ahora”.
Desde su instalación, CRIRES logró muchos descubrimientos científicos, entre ellos, medir la longitud de un día en un exoplaneta por primera vez, y determinar la temperatura de toda la atmósfera de Plutón. Los científicos esperan usar CRIRES+ para seguir construyendo sobre los importantes logros realizados con CRIRES.
“CRIRES+ será el único espectrógrafo de alta resolución en el infrarrojo instalado en un telescopio de 8 metros equipado con un sistema de óptica adaptativa de vanguardia. Esto generará un gran cambio en el estudio de los exoplanetas y las estrellas de baja masa”, indica el científico principal para CRIRES+, e investigador principal del consorcio Artie Hatzes, del Observatorio Estatal de Turingia, Tautenburg, Alemania. “En particular, CRIRES+ será insuperable en su capacidad para estudiar las atmósferas exoplanetarias mediante las observaciones terrestres”.
Información adicional
El consorcio CRIRES+ liderado por ESO lo conforman ESO (Alemania, Chile), el Instituto de Astrofísica de la Universidad Georgia Augusta de Gotinga (Alemania), el Observatorio Estatal de Turingia, Tautenburg (Alemania), el Departamento de Física y Astronomía de la Universidad de Uppsala (Suecia), INAF - Observatorio de Arcetri (Italia) e INAF - Observatorio de Bolonia (Italia). El investigador principal del instrumento es Artie Hatzes del Observatorio Estatal de Turingia, Tautenburg (Alemania).
Enlaces
- CRIRES+: Exploración del Universo Frío en Alta Resolución Espectral, The Messenger.
- Información adicional de CRIRES
- Información adicional de CRIRES+
- Fotos del VLT
Contactos
Reinhold Dorn
ESO
Tel: +49 89 3200 6547
Email: rdorn@eso.org
Joël Daniel Roger Vernet
ESO
Tel: +49 89 3200 6579
Email: jvernet@eso.org
Elena Valenti
ESO
Tel: +49 89 3200 6120
Email: evalenti@eso.org
Bárbara Ferreira
ESO Public Information Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Cell: +49 151 241 664 00
Email: pio@eso.org
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