Research Consortium on Nearby Stars
Encyclopedia
The Research Consortium on Nearby Stars (RECONS) is an international group of astronomers founded in 1994 to investigate the star
s nearest to the Solar System
- those within 10 parsec
s (32.6 light years). In part the project hopes a more accurate survey of local star systems will give a better picture of the star systems in the Galaxy
as a whole.
RECONS is listed explicitly as an author on papers submitted to the Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society
since 2004.
The RECONS web page includes the frequently referenced List of the 100 Nearest Star Systems. They update this list as discoveries are made.
of Georgia State University
, Atlanta, USA, is the Consortium's founder and director. Some of the other astronomers involved in the project include Wei-Chun Jao, John Subasavage and Thom Beaulieu of Georgia State University, Phil Ianna of the University of Virginia
in Charlottesville, Hartmut Jahreiß
of the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut in Heidelberg, Germany and Edgardo Costa and Rene Mendez of the Universidad de Chile
.
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s nearest to the Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
- those within 10 parsec
Parsec
The parsec is a unit of length used in astronomy. It is about 3.26 light-years, or just under 31 trillion kilometres ....
s (32.6 light years). In part the project hopes a more accurate survey of local star systems will give a better picture of the star systems in the Galaxy
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
as a whole.
Notable discoveries
The Consortium claims authorship of the The Solar Neighborhood series in the The Astronomical Journal, that began in 1994. This series now numbers over 20 papers and submissions. The following discoveries are from this series:- GJ 1061GJ 1061GJ 1061 is a small red dwarf star approximately 12 light-years from Earth in the southern constellation of Horologium...
was discovered to be the 20th nearest known star system, at a distance of 11.9 light years.
- The first accurate measurement of distance for DENIS 0255-4700DEN 0255-4700DENIS 0255-4700 is an extremely faint brown dwarf about 16 light years from the Solar System in the southern constellation of Eridanus. It is the closest spectral class L brown dwarf to the Earth. Its proximity to the Solar System was discovered by the RECONS group in 2006.-External links:*...
. At a distance of 16.2 light years, it is the nearest known class L Brown DwarfBrown dwarfBrown dwarfs are sub-stellar objects which are too low in mass to sustain hydrogen-1 fusion reactions in their cores, which is characteristic of stars on the main sequence. Brown dwarfs have fully convective surfaces and interiors, with no chemical differentiation by depth...
object to the Solar System.
- The discovery of 20 previously unknown star systems within 10 parsecs of the Solar SystemSolar SystemThe Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
. These are in addition to 8 new star systems announced between 2000 and 2005.
RECONS is listed explicitly as an author on papers submitted to the Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society is the journal of record for the American Astronomical Society established in 1969. It publishes meetings of the society, obituaries of its members, and scholarly articles...
since 2004.
The RECONS web page includes the frequently referenced List of the 100 Nearest Star Systems. They update this list as discoveries are made.
Personnel
Todd J. HenryTodd J. Henry
Todd J. Henry or Todd Jackson Henry is an American astronomer and Professor of Astronomy at Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia. He is founder and director of the Research Consortium on Nearby Stars.-Education:...
of Georgia State University
Georgia State University
Georgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...
, Atlanta, USA, is the Consortium's founder and director. Some of the other astronomers involved in the project include Wei-Chun Jao, John Subasavage and Thom Beaulieu of Georgia State University, Phil Ianna of the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in Charlottesville, Hartmut Jahreiß
Hartmut Jahreiß
Hartmut Jahreiß is a German astronomer associated with Astronomisches Rechen-Institut specializing in the study of nearby stars.-Work:Hartmut Jahreiß obtained his Ph.D from the University of Heidelberg. His thesis was on the spatial distribution, kinetics and age of stars near the Sun...
of the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut in Heidelberg, Germany and Edgardo Costa and Rene Mendez of the Universidad de Chile
Universidad de Chile (university)
The University of Chile is the largest and oldest institution of higher education in Chile and one of the oldest in the Americas. Founded in 1842 as the replacement and continuation of the former colonial Royal University of San Felipe , the university is often called Casa de Bello in honor of...
.