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MISSION NAME:
MOST
(Microvariability & Oscillations of STars) |
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DEVELOPED BY:
Canadian Space Agency |
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FINDS PLANETS USING:
Transit method |
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CURRENT STATUS:
In operation |
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| Artist's concept of MOST |
Launched in June 2003, the Microvariability and Oscillations of Stars (MOST) project is the Canadian Space Agency's first space telescope. It also happens to be one of the smallest space telescopes yet launched, about the size of a suitcase. It orbits the Earth at about 800 kilometers (426 miles), about twice the distance of the International Space Station. MOST was one of the first satellites used in the hunt for new planets.
While not specifically a planet-finding mission, MOST has been able to find planets because it can spend up to seven weeks at a time observing a star and watching the fluctuations in its brightness. When a planet transits, or passes in front of its star, MOST can measure the corresponding drop in brightness. This can give clues about the size and mass of a planet, as well as how far it orbits from its star.
MOST represents a new type of small, relatively inexpensive satellite that can spend long amounts of time devoted to studying a single star.
