Keeping an eye on things

The control room of the ESO 3.6-metre telescope at its observatory in La Silla is busier than it appears. From here, astronomers control the telescope and its instruments as they observe the distant Universe in comfort. The array of computer monitors display information about the telescope systems and allow the astronomers to manage the observing session and to gauge the quality of the data they are collecting. Gone are the days when astronomers spent long nights trying to stay warm as they peered through a telescope eyepiece.

Pale Red Dot is an international search for an Earth-like exoplanet around the closest star to us, Proxima Centauri. It will use HARPS, attached to the ESO 3.6-metre telescope at La Silla Observatory, as well as the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) and the Burst Optical Observer and Transient Exploring System (BOOTES). The public will see how teams of astronomers with different specialities work together to collect, analyse and interpret data, which may or may not be able to confirm the presence of an Earth-like planet orbiting our nearest neighbour. The outreach campaign consists of blog posts and social media updates on the Pale Red Dot Twitter account and using the hashtag #PaleRedDot. For more information visit the Pale Red Dot website: http://www.palereddot.org