Hauptinhalt

BRITE-Constellation: Shoebox-Sized Satellites for Variable Star Research

Kolloquium Fachbereich Physik

Veranstaltungsdaten

During their over five years in space, the five BRITE-Constellation nano-satellites have completed observations of more than 550 individual targets brighter than about 6th magnitude. The data have allowed us to study a variety of variability phenomena covering a wide range across the HR-diagram including different types of pulsations, wind phenomena, rapidly rotating stars (e.g. Be), binary and multiple systems, and stars with planets. Some of the prime science results therefore comprise the discovery of massive heartbeat systems, the apparent interaction of phenomena on very different time scales in Be stars, the proof of a photospheric connection for the wind variations in very massive stars, g-modes and g-mode period spacings in beta Cephei, SPB and gamma Doradus stars or the presence of only two pulsation modes in a magnetic delta Scuti star.
I will give an overview of the BRITE-Constellation mission and its latest scientific results.