PLATO's first field of observation was selected by the Science Working Team in July 2023. It is located in the southern hemisphere, around the star Canopus, a bright star in the constellation Carina. PLATO will observe this field for at least two years, but perhaps also three or four years - depending on the yield.
First PLATO observation field in the constellation of Carina
The first field that PLATO will observe for at least two years is located in the southern hemisphere around the star Canopus in the constellation of Carina. The red field with its colour gradations shows the areas that will be observed by 24, 18, 12 and 6 cameras, respetively. The central, dark red field is the region observed by all 24 "normal" cameras.
The telescopes on PLATO must never be pointed directly at the sun. The PLATO satellite orbits the sun synchronised with the Earth at the Langrange point L2. The centre of possible observation fields is therefore either 63° above or below this orbital plane, the ecliptic. Only fields that are aligned in this way could be observed for more than one year, as is required.
And how do you determine the exact position of the fields? That was the task of the Science Working Team. The possible observation fields were assessed according to criteria such as the number of stars and their characteristics and the contamination, i.e. the difficulty of separating two stars that are close together. In addition, the probability of false-positive signals, which should of course be as low as possible, and the possibility of follow-up observations from the ground, as well as synergies with other missions.
