BRITE-Constellation: Nanosatellites for Precision Photometry of Bright Stars

Author(s)

W. W. Weiss, S. M. Rucinski, A. F. J. Moffat, A. Schwarzenberg-Czerny, O. F. Koudelka, C. C. Grant, R. E. Zee, R. Kuschnig, Stefan W. Mochnacki, J. M. Matthews, P. Orleanski, A. Pamyatnykh, A. Pigulski, J. Alves, Manuel Güdel, G. Handler, G. A. Wade, K. Zwintz, M. Chaumont, S. Choi, C. Grant, T. Kallinger, Jakob Lifshits

Abstract

BRITE-Constellation (where BRITE stands for BRIght Target Explorer) is

an international nanosatellite mission to monitor photometrically, in

two colours, the brightness and temperature variations of stars

generally brighter than mag(V) ≈ 4 with precision and time coverage

not possible from the ground. The current mission design consists of six

nanosats (hence Constellation): two from Austria, two from Canada, and

two from Poland. Each 7 kg nanosat carries an optical telescope of

aperture 3 cm feeding an uncooled CCD. One instrument in each pair is

equipped with a blue filter; the other with a red filter. Each BRITE

instrument has a wide field of view (≈24°), so up to about 15

bright stars can be observed simultaneously, sampled in 32 × 32

pixels sub-rasters. Photometry of additional fainter targets, with

reduced precision but thorough time sampling, will be possible through

onboard data processing. The BRITE sample is dominated by the most

intrinsically luminous stars: massive stars seen at all evolutionary

stages, and evolved medium-mass stars at the very end of their nuclear

burning phases. The goals of BRITE-Constellation are to (1) measure p-

and g-mode pulsations to probe the interiors and ages of stars through

asteroseismology; (2) look for varying spots on the stars surfaces

carried across the stellar disks by rotation, which are the sources of

co-rotating interaction regions in the winds of the most luminous stars,

probably arising from magnetic subsurface convection; and (3) search for

planetary transits.

Organisation(s)

Department of Astrophysics

External organisation(s)

Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), University of Toronto, University of Montreal, Technische Universität Graz, University of British Columbia (UBC), University of Wrocław, Royal Military College of Canada, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Journal

Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

Volume

126

Pages

573-585

No. of pages

13

ISSN

0004-6280

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1086/677236

Publication date

06-2014

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

103003 Astronomy, 103004 Astrophysics

Keywords

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/7b6481ca-42ec-46d9-b104-8cf5f9cabe90