In control

This image shows the control room of ESO's 3.6-metre telescope at its observatory in La Silla, Chile. From here, astronomers manage the telescope's observing schedule and get the first glimpses of the data that it is collecting. One of this telescope's most productive detectors is called HARPS, and it is being used to hunt for evidence of a planet in orbit around the star Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to Earth. Even without knowing if their hunt will be successful, the team of astronomers is sharing the progress of the project with the public. This is the Pale Red Dot campaign, that gives unprecedented public access to view the reality of an astronomical research project.

Pale Red Dot is an international search for an Earth-like exoplanet around the closest star to us, Proxima Centauri. It will use HARPS, attached to the ESO 3.6-metre telescope at La Silla Observatory, as well as the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) and the Burst Optical Observer and Transient Exploring System (BOOTES). The public will see how teams of astronomers with different specialities work together to collect, analyse and interpret data, which may or may not be able to confirm the presence of an Earth-like planet orbiting our nearest neighbour. The outreach campaign consists of blog posts and social media updates on the Pale Red Dot Twitter account and using the hashtag #PaleRedDot. For more information visit the Pale Red Dot website: http://www.palereddot.org