Image: Artist's concept of the completed Giant Magellan Telescope.
Astronomer Nikole Lewis has been selected as co-convener of the Extrasolar Planetary Systems Key Science Program development for the effort. She will co-lead a team of 75 astronomers in developing programs that highlight the scientific potential of these large telescopes for the study of exoplanetary systems.
Through the program, U.S. scientists will have access to extremely large telescopes in both the northern and southern hemispheres, offering greater and more diverse research opportunities than can be achieved with a single telescope. Research targets by Lewis鈥 team include the properties and evolution of exoplanets, debris disks, exobiology, and the search for life beyond the solar system.
Recent recommendations by the , convened by the National Academies in preparation for the 2020 Decadal Survey, highlight the essential role that US Extremely Large Telescopes will play in exoplanet exploration.
鈥淭he new ground-based, extremely large optical-infrared telescopes, including the Giant Magellan Telescope and Thirty Meter Telescope, are opening new research frontiers in astronomy and astrophysics,鈥 said Lewis, assistant professor of astronomy and deputy director of Cornell鈥檚 Carl Sagan Institute. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to co-lead this project that will help answer questions like 鈥榟ow did we get here?鈥 and 鈥榓re we alone?鈥
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