Join our search for new planets

Microlensing events are very rare because they rely on a chance alignment between a distant star and a closer star. Because of this we need to look at a part of the sky which has lots of stars to increase the chances of us catching these events. The highest concentration of stars in the sky is towards the bulge or centre of our Galaxy, the Milky Way. If the closer star has one or more planets, microlensing gives us a chance of detecting them (see What is a microlensing event? for more information).

The OGLE (Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment) and MOA (Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics) teams regularly produce a list of the potential candidates for exoplanets. It is a trimmed down version of the target list that we will be using for observing these events.

At present you will only be able to follow this method if you have registered to use the 2m telescopes in the LCOGT network, via Faulkes Telescope Project or Hawai'i outreach program. The Faulkes Telescope Project are only able to register education users from the UK. 

Preparing for observing

1. Book an observing session. It is possible to observe from either Faulkes Telescope North or South, but the visibility of the bulge is much better from Faulkes Telescope South.
2. Check the microlensing recommended target information below for objects to observe. The list is updated every 1-2 days, so it is best to check on the day of your session. 
3. Check that the object will be visible at the time of your session. You can do this using planetarium software, such as SkyView Cafe (runs in a webbrowser) or Stellarium (free download). Alternatively you could use StarAlt which is a tool professional astronomers use. You will need to select Siding Spring for FTS in the "Observatory", but Mauna Kea in place of Haleakala for FTN (Haleakala isn't listed).

During your observing session

Because the observations you make will be automatically analysed, you will need to take extra care to enter the name of the object exactly as it is written (upper case, with no spaces).

1. When you have control of the telescope (i.e. your session has started and the clock at the top of the screen is counting down) you will be asked if you want to 'Take Control of the telescope'.
2. Once you have accepted  you will be taken to a page with a map of the sky above the telescope.
3. Click "Enter RA and Dec".
4. Fill out the co-ordinates and enter to object name with the target you have selected from the microlensing recommended target page (make sure you copy the object exactly as it is on the microlensing recommended target page).
5. Follow the normal observing procedure.
6. Once you are on the 'Enter Exposure time and filter' page, you will need to select the filter (from the drop-down menu) which matches the filter recommended on the microlensing recommended target page.
7. Enter the exposure time time suggested and click 'Make Observation' (from the column t_exp)
8. Re-expose the target an extra 1-2 times (depending on the time remaining in your session) before moving the telescope to a new object. This increases your chances of catching the 'blip' in the brightness of the distant star.
9. To make sure you are pointing in the correct place, check your observation image with the Finder Chart from the microlensing recommended target page (click the thumbnail to enlarge).
10. Repeat steps 1-9 for all the targets you would like to observe.

After your session

From the name you give your observation, the LCOGT archive will recognize that your observation is of a potential exoplanet, and automatically process the data. That is why it is extremely important you type the name correctly.

Once the data has been processed a data point will appear on the lightcurve for each of the observations you make. This can be as fast as 2-3 minutes after your observation has been completed.

You can find the lightcurve on the microlensing recommended target page, by clicking on the thumbnail image in the last column which corresponds to the object you observed.

And finally...

If the lightcurve shows any 'blips' or strange features, you may have contributed to the discovery of an extra-solar planet.