Dr. Bohdan Paczynski, at Princeton University, will continue the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE). This survey for lensing events typically identifies some 600 events per year, with nearly 3000 events detected to-date. OGLE has identified over 300,000 variable stars, a number of unique extrasolar planets, and has placed important constraints on the presence (or absence) of massive compact halo objects (MACHOS), a proposed type of dark matter in the halo of the Galaxy. Future observations will continue these and other types of discoveries.

The data are released to the broader community, for data mining by professional astronomers, amateur astronomers and students. In particular OGLE is a valuable resource for variable star studies that can be used in a broad range of astrophysical research.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
0607070
Program Officer
Brian M. Patten
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2006-08-01
Budget End
2007-07-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2006
Total Cost
$159,364
Indirect Cost
Name
Princeton University
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Princeton
State
NJ
Country
United States
Zip Code
08540