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The Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS): Operations 2022-2025

Lead Research Organisation: University of Warwick
Department Name: Physics

Abstract

In this proposal we request continued STFC support for operations of the Next-Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) project, covering the period April 2022 to March 2025.

NGTS employs an array of twelve purpose-built telescopes at the ESO Paranal Observatory, Chile, that are optimised for exoplanet transit observations. For stars of 9th magnitude and fainter we match the space-based photometric precision of the TESS mission (as good as 100ppm in 30min at 9th magnitude with 12 telescopes), which is unprecedented for a ground-based instrument. Our primary goal is to find and characterise exoplanets that are well suited to detailed studies with large facilities, such as ESO's VLT and ELT telescopes.

NGTS is led from the UK, with a consortium that includes members from eight UK institutions together with international partners in Geneva, Berlin and Chile. Capital costs were funded by the consortium institutes, and operations are supported by STFC together with in-kind contributions from ESO. The facility has been operational since 2016, and NGTS data have been used in more than fifty refereed publications across a wide range of science topics.

Our science programme for the period 2022-2025 will focus on two main topics: 1) the discovery and characterisation of long-period exoplanets identified as candidates from single-transit events in TESS data; and 2) probing planetary evolution by searching for young exoplanets in open clusters where the fields are too crowded for TESS. NGTS data will also support a wide range of non-exoplanet science, including the evolution of stellar rotation, stellar flares on ultracool dwarfs, coronal heating by nano-flares, transits and eclipses of white dwarfs, and the variability of cataclysmic variables and young stellar objects.

These science goals will be pursued by members the NGTS consortium, which already includes 47 UK astronomers from 8 institutes, and with new members continuing to join via an open call for UK collaborators. The wider astronomical community also has the opportunity to exploit NGTS data, which is made publicly available through the ESO archive.

We request funding for three main tasks that are required for NGTS operations. In addition to project management (WP1), these are: the daily operation of the facility, including scheduling of observations (WP2); the maintenance of the telescopes and buildings in Chile (WP3); and the processing and curation of the data (WP4). The main cost for the project is the PDRA needed for WPs 2-4. We also request investigator time to support WPs 1-4, and the travel and consumables needed to operate the remote facility. Our project supports a broad UK community including the training of a new generation of scientists in preparation for PLATO and ARIEL.
 
Description Chair of STFC oversight committee for new robotic telescope
Geographic Reach Europe 
Policy Influence Type Participation in a guidance/advisory committee
 
Description Member of Project Management Board for the UKSA contribution to ESA Ariel space mission
Geographic Reach Europe 
Policy Influence Type Participation in a guidance/advisory committee
 
Description The Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) project was used as a case study in the evaluation of the socio-economic impact of the UK subscription to the European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Geographic Reach Europe 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to a national consultation/review
Impact NGTS datasets have formed the basis of the training of several PhDs and postdoc researchers who have transfered into industry. Our ongoing collaboration with the UK scientific camera manufacturer, Andor (part of Oxford Instruments), has contributed to the economic competitiveness of their products.
URL https://www.ukri.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/STFC-240222-SocioEconomicImpactEvaluationStudyUKSubs...
 
Description Communicating STFC Research using a Mobile Planetarium - Matched funding with STFC award ST/Y005864/1
Amount £15,000 (GBP)
Organisation University of Warwick 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 02/2024 
End 01/2027
 
Title NGTS clusters survey. IV. 
Description VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society with title ' NGTS clusters survey. IV. Search for Dipper stars in the Orion Nebular Cluster.' (bibcode: 2023MNRAS.521.1700M) 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2023 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/MNRAS/521/1700
 
Description BOWIE+ network for exoplanet and brown dwarf atmosphere studies 
Organisation Imperial College London
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution A diverse team of theorists and observers are working together to charactetrise the atmospheres of exoplanets and brown dwarfs using JWST and complementary observations and state-of-the-art numerical models. My team contributes to observations with JWST and ground-based telescopes. I also led a proposal for an STFC Larhe Award to grow the BOWIE+ network.
Collaborator Contribution The partners all bring unique world-class expertise in different areas of atmosphere research. Together we make a world-class team that is internationally competitive with the largest exoplanet atmosphere groups world-wide.
Impact Seven successful JWST proposals, all led by UK early-career researchers, against intense international competition (oversubscription of nine to one).
Start Year 2022
 
Description BOWIE+ network for exoplanet and brown dwarf atmosphere studies 
Organisation Meteorological Office UK
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution A diverse team of theorists and observers are working together to charactetrise the atmospheres of exoplanets and brown dwarfs using JWST and complementary observations and state-of-the-art numerical models. My team contributes to observations with JWST and ground-based telescopes. I also led a proposal for an STFC Larhe Award to grow the BOWIE+ network.
Collaborator Contribution The partners all bring unique world-class expertise in different areas of atmosphere research. Together we make a world-class team that is internationally competitive with the largest exoplanet atmosphere groups world-wide.
Impact Seven successful JWST proposals, all led by UK early-career researchers, against intense international competition (oversubscription of nine to one).
Start Year 2022
 
Description BOWIE+ network for exoplanet and brown dwarf atmosphere studies 
Organisation Open University
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution A diverse team of theorists and observers are working together to charactetrise the atmospheres of exoplanets and brown dwarfs using JWST and complementary observations and state-of-the-art numerical models. My team contributes to observations with JWST and ground-based telescopes. I also led a proposal for an STFC Larhe Award to grow the BOWIE+ network.
Collaborator Contribution The partners all bring unique world-class expertise in different areas of atmosphere research. Together we make a world-class team that is internationally competitive with the largest exoplanet atmosphere groups world-wide.
Impact Seven successful JWST proposals, all led by UK early-career researchers, against intense international competition (oversubscription of nine to one).
Start Year 2022
 
Description BOWIE+ network for exoplanet and brown dwarf atmosphere studies 
Organisation University of Bristol
Department School of Physics
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution A diverse team of theorists and observers are working together to charactetrise the atmospheres of exoplanets and brown dwarfs using JWST and complementary observations and state-of-the-art numerical models. My team contributes to observations with JWST and ground-based telescopes. I also led a proposal for an STFC Larhe Award to grow the BOWIE+ network.
Collaborator Contribution The partners all bring unique world-class expertise in different areas of atmosphere research. Together we make a world-class team that is internationally competitive with the largest exoplanet atmosphere groups world-wide.
Impact Seven successful JWST proposals, all led by UK early-career researchers, against intense international competition (oversubscription of nine to one).
Start Year 2022
 
Description BOWIE+ network for exoplanet and brown dwarf atmosphere studies 
Organisation University of Exeter
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution A diverse team of theorists and observers are working together to charactetrise the atmospheres of exoplanets and brown dwarfs using JWST and complementary observations and state-of-the-art numerical models. My team contributes to observations with JWST and ground-based telescopes. I also led a proposal for an STFC Larhe Award to grow the BOWIE+ network.
Collaborator Contribution The partners all bring unique world-class expertise in different areas of atmosphere research. Together we make a world-class team that is internationally competitive with the largest exoplanet atmosphere groups world-wide.
Impact Seven successful JWST proposals, all led by UK early-career researchers, against intense international competition (oversubscription of nine to one).
Start Year 2022
 
Description BOWIE+ network for exoplanet and brown dwarf atmosphere studies 
Organisation University of Leicester
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution A diverse team of theorists and observers are working together to charactetrise the atmospheres of exoplanets and brown dwarfs using JWST and complementary observations and state-of-the-art numerical models. My team contributes to observations with JWST and ground-based telescopes. I also led a proposal for an STFC Larhe Award to grow the BOWIE+ network.
Collaborator Contribution The partners all bring unique world-class expertise in different areas of atmosphere research. Together we make a world-class team that is internationally competitive with the largest exoplanet atmosphere groups world-wide.
Impact Seven successful JWST proposals, all led by UK early-career researchers, against intense international competition (oversubscription of nine to one).
Start Year 2022
 
Description BOWIE+ network for exoplanet and brown dwarf atmosphere studies 
Organisation University of Oxford
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution A diverse team of theorists and observers are working together to charactetrise the atmospheres of exoplanets and brown dwarfs using JWST and complementary observations and state-of-the-art numerical models. My team contributes to observations with JWST and ground-based telescopes. I also led a proposal for an STFC Larhe Award to grow the BOWIE+ network.
Collaborator Contribution The partners all bring unique world-class expertise in different areas of atmosphere research. Together we make a world-class team that is internationally competitive with the largest exoplanet atmosphere groups world-wide.
Impact Seven successful JWST proposals, all led by UK early-career researchers, against intense international competition (oversubscription of nine to one).
Start Year 2022
 
Description BOWIE+ network for exoplanet and brown dwarf atmosphere studies 
Organisation University of Warwick
Department Department of Physics
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution A diverse team of theorists and observers are working together to charactetrise the atmospheres of exoplanets and brown dwarfs using JWST and complementary observations and state-of-the-art numerical models. My team contributes to observations with JWST and ground-based telescopes. I also led a proposal for an STFC Larhe Award to grow the BOWIE+ network.
Collaborator Contribution The partners all bring unique world-class expertise in different areas of atmosphere research. Together we make a world-class team that is internationally competitive with the largest exoplanet atmosphere groups world-wide.
Impact Seven successful JWST proposals, all led by UK early-career researchers, against intense international competition (oversubscription of nine to one).
Start Year 2022
 
Description NGTS Consortium 
Organisation Andor Technology
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution We are leading the development of the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), which is a project aiming to discover small planets around bright stars using an array of robotic telescopes at the ESO Paranal site in Chile. We initiated the project with an institutional investment of £300k, and have been joined by 5 partner institutes all making comparable financial investments. At Warwick we have purchased key components of the facility (including CCD cameras and telescope mounts), led site negotiations with ESO, and we are leading the development of the observatory control and data analysis software. In the operational phase of the project, with support from STFC, we will carrying out the data analysis and lead the search for new planets in NGTS data.
Collaborator Contribution Geneva - have purchased key equipment and led the mechanical and optical design of the telescope array. DLR - have purchased CCD cameras and contributed to the development of data analysis software. Leicester - have purchased CCD cameras and computing hardware and led the calibration of the CCD cameras. Cavendish - have purchased key equipment and provided staff support for the installation of the facility in Chile. Belfast - developed a prototype instrument for La Palma that demonstrated the scientific feasibility of the survey.
Impact Primary output will be the discovery and characterisation of new exoplanets (published in peer reviewed journals). The NGTS data will also be made publicly available through the ESO data archive. Our collaboration with the manufacturer of our CCD cameras (Andor) has resulted in a new camera product and an improved understanding of CCD camera stability.
Start Year 2009
 
Description NGTS Consortium 
Organisation German Aerospace Centre (DLR)
Department DLR Institute Of Planetary Research
Country Germany 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We are leading the development of the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), which is a project aiming to discover small planets around bright stars using an array of robotic telescopes at the ESO Paranal site in Chile. We initiated the project with an institutional investment of £300k, and have been joined by 5 partner institutes all making comparable financial investments. At Warwick we have purchased key components of the facility (including CCD cameras and telescope mounts), led site negotiations with ESO, and we are leading the development of the observatory control and data analysis software. In the operational phase of the project, with support from STFC, we will carrying out the data analysis and lead the search for new planets in NGTS data.
Collaborator Contribution Geneva - have purchased key equipment and led the mechanical and optical design of the telescope array. DLR - have purchased CCD cameras and contributed to the development of data analysis software. Leicester - have purchased CCD cameras and computing hardware and led the calibration of the CCD cameras. Cavendish - have purchased key equipment and provided staff support for the installation of the facility in Chile. Belfast - developed a prototype instrument for La Palma that demonstrated the scientific feasibility of the survey.
Impact Primary output will be the discovery and characterisation of new exoplanets (published in peer reviewed journals). The NGTS data will also be made publicly available through the ESO data archive. Our collaboration with the manufacturer of our CCD cameras (Andor) has resulted in a new camera product and an improved understanding of CCD camera stability.
Start Year 2009
 
Description NGTS Consortium 
Organisation Queen's University Belfast
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We are leading the development of the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), which is a project aiming to discover small planets around bright stars using an array of robotic telescopes at the ESO Paranal site in Chile. We initiated the project with an institutional investment of £300k, and have been joined by 5 partner institutes all making comparable financial investments. At Warwick we have purchased key components of the facility (including CCD cameras and telescope mounts), led site negotiations with ESO, and we are leading the development of the observatory control and data analysis software. In the operational phase of the project, with support from STFC, we will carrying out the data analysis and lead the search for new planets in NGTS data.
Collaborator Contribution Geneva - have purchased key equipment and led the mechanical and optical design of the telescope array. DLR - have purchased CCD cameras and contributed to the development of data analysis software. Leicester - have purchased CCD cameras and computing hardware and led the calibration of the CCD cameras. Cavendish - have purchased key equipment and provided staff support for the installation of the facility in Chile. Belfast - developed a prototype instrument for La Palma that demonstrated the scientific feasibility of the survey.
Impact Primary output will be the discovery and characterisation of new exoplanets (published in peer reviewed journals). The NGTS data will also be made publicly available through the ESO data archive. Our collaboration with the manufacturer of our CCD cameras (Andor) has resulted in a new camera product and an improved understanding of CCD camera stability.
Start Year 2009
 
Description NGTS Consortium 
Organisation University of Cambridge
Department Cavendish Laboratory
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We are leading the development of the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), which is a project aiming to discover small planets around bright stars using an array of robotic telescopes at the ESO Paranal site in Chile. We initiated the project with an institutional investment of £300k, and have been joined by 5 partner institutes all making comparable financial investments. At Warwick we have purchased key components of the facility (including CCD cameras and telescope mounts), led site negotiations with ESO, and we are leading the development of the observatory control and data analysis software. In the operational phase of the project, with support from STFC, we will carrying out the data analysis and lead the search for new planets in NGTS data.
Collaborator Contribution Geneva - have purchased key equipment and led the mechanical and optical design of the telescope array. DLR - have purchased CCD cameras and contributed to the development of data analysis software. Leicester - have purchased CCD cameras and computing hardware and led the calibration of the CCD cameras. Cavendish - have purchased key equipment and provided staff support for the installation of the facility in Chile. Belfast - developed a prototype instrument for La Palma that demonstrated the scientific feasibility of the survey.
Impact Primary output will be the discovery and characterisation of new exoplanets (published in peer reviewed journals). The NGTS data will also be made publicly available through the ESO data archive. Our collaboration with the manufacturer of our CCD cameras (Andor) has resulted in a new camera product and an improved understanding of CCD camera stability.
Start Year 2009
 
Description NGTS Consortium 
Organisation University of Chile
Department Department of Astronomy (DAS)
Country Chile 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We are leading the development of the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), which is a project aiming to discover small planets around bright stars using an array of robotic telescopes at the ESO Paranal site in Chile. We initiated the project with an institutional investment of £300k, and have been joined by 5 partner institutes all making comparable financial investments. At Warwick we have purchased key components of the facility (including CCD cameras and telescope mounts), led site negotiations with ESO, and we are leading the development of the observatory control and data analysis software. In the operational phase of the project, with support from STFC, we will carrying out the data analysis and lead the search for new planets in NGTS data.
Collaborator Contribution Geneva - have purchased key equipment and led the mechanical and optical design of the telescope array. DLR - have purchased CCD cameras and contributed to the development of data analysis software. Leicester - have purchased CCD cameras and computing hardware and led the calibration of the CCD cameras. Cavendish - have purchased key equipment and provided staff support for the installation of the facility in Chile. Belfast - developed a prototype instrument for La Palma that demonstrated the scientific feasibility of the survey.
Impact Primary output will be the discovery and characterisation of new exoplanets (published in peer reviewed journals). The NGTS data will also be made publicly available through the ESO data archive. Our collaboration with the manufacturer of our CCD cameras (Andor) has resulted in a new camera product and an improved understanding of CCD camera stability.
Start Year 2009
 
Description NGTS Consortium 
Organisation University of Geneva
Country Switzerland 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We are leading the development of the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), which is a project aiming to discover small planets around bright stars using an array of robotic telescopes at the ESO Paranal site in Chile. We initiated the project with an institutional investment of £300k, and have been joined by 5 partner institutes all making comparable financial investments. At Warwick we have purchased key components of the facility (including CCD cameras and telescope mounts), led site negotiations with ESO, and we are leading the development of the observatory control and data analysis software. In the operational phase of the project, with support from STFC, we will carrying out the data analysis and lead the search for new planets in NGTS data.
Collaborator Contribution Geneva - have purchased key equipment and led the mechanical and optical design of the telescope array. DLR - have purchased CCD cameras and contributed to the development of data analysis software. Leicester - have purchased CCD cameras and computing hardware and led the calibration of the CCD cameras. Cavendish - have purchased key equipment and provided staff support for the installation of the facility in Chile. Belfast - developed a prototype instrument for La Palma that demonstrated the scientific feasibility of the survey.
Impact Primary output will be the discovery and characterisation of new exoplanets (published in peer reviewed journals). The NGTS data will also be made publicly available through the ESO data archive. Our collaboration with the manufacturer of our CCD cameras (Andor) has resulted in a new camera product and an improved understanding of CCD camera stability.
Start Year 2009
 
Description NGTS Consortium 
Organisation University of Leicester
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We are leading the development of the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), which is a project aiming to discover small planets around bright stars using an array of robotic telescopes at the ESO Paranal site in Chile. We initiated the project with an institutional investment of £300k, and have been joined by 5 partner institutes all making comparable financial investments. At Warwick we have purchased key components of the facility (including CCD cameras and telescope mounts), led site negotiations with ESO, and we are leading the development of the observatory control and data analysis software. In the operational phase of the project, with support from STFC, we will carrying out the data analysis and lead the search for new planets in NGTS data.
Collaborator Contribution Geneva - have purchased key equipment and led the mechanical and optical design of the telescope array. DLR - have purchased CCD cameras and contributed to the development of data analysis software. Leicester - have purchased CCD cameras and computing hardware and led the calibration of the CCD cameras. Cavendish - have purchased key equipment and provided staff support for the installation of the facility in Chile. Belfast - developed a prototype instrument for La Palma that demonstrated the scientific feasibility of the survey.
Impact Primary output will be the discovery and characterisation of new exoplanets (published in peer reviewed journals). The NGTS data will also be made publicly available through the ESO data archive. Our collaboration with the manufacturer of our CCD cameras (Andor) has resulted in a new camera product and an improved understanding of CCD camera stability.
Start Year 2009
 
Title DONUTS algorithm for extreme-precision autoguiding of robotic telescopes 
Description The DONUTS software was developed by James McCormac and Simon Walker, with the first version released in 2017 and multiple updates and upgrades applied regularly. The code is designed to control a robotic telescope during automated observations with the goal of keeping the stars fixed on individual pixels for indefinite time intervals. This is a key requirement for extreme-precison photometry. The code was developed on the Warwick-operated NGTS telescopes at the ESO Paranal Observatory in Chile, and several other telescopes operated by the University of Warwick. It is made publicly available in github and it is used routinely by several research telescopes. 
Type Of Technology Software 
Year Produced 2024 
Open Source License? Yes  
Impact This code is key the extreme photometric precision achieved by the STFC-supported NGTS telescopes, which has resulted in 105 refereed publications (to March 2026), including the discovery of at least 90 new transiting exoplanets, as well as essential photometric support for large facilities including the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). 
URL https://github.com/jmccormac01/Donuts/commits/master/
 
Title Pipeline software for extreme-precision time-series photometry 
Description Data reduction pipelines have been developed for extreme-precison time-series photometry of stars in the Next-Generation Transit Survey (NGTS). Separate versions are available for survey observations of tens of thousands of stars in each image, or for the highest-precision photometry of single target stars. We achieve photometric precision as good as 100ppm, which is unprecedented for ground-based observatiobs. The software is proprietary and not currently publicly available, but we are open to making software available to other projects on a collaborative basis. 
Type Of Technology Software 
Year Produced 2026 
Impact This software enables the detection of shallow transits of small exoplanets in data from the Next-Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), which is a UKRI/STFC-supported facility operating at the ESO Paranal Observatory in Chile. It has led to the discovery of 50 new exoplanets to date, including some of the coolest transiting planets known. It also enables NGTS to provide hih-precison photometric support to large facilities such as the Very Large Telescope and the Extremely Large Telescope, PLATO and Ariel. This is often needed in order to mitigate the effects of stellar activity in exoplanet observations. 
URL https://ngtransits.org/
 
Title Sentinel observatory control software 
Description Observatory Control Software for the Next-Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), which is a UKRI/STFC-supported robotic telescope facility located at the ESO Paranal Observatory in Chile. Sentinel allows the observatory to operate entirely autonomously, controlling the roof mechanism of the telescope building, and executing observations with the array of telescopes, while monitoring environmental sensors to ensure the observations are halted and the roof closed when weather conditions exceed limits. The software is proprietary and not currently publicly available, but we are open to making the software available to other projects on a collaborative basis. 
Type Of Technology Software 
Year Produced 2026 
Impact This software enables the operation of the Next-Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) robotic telescope array, which is dedicated to the detection of shallow transits of small exoplanets. It has enabled the discovery of more than 50 new exoplanets, including some of the coolest transiting planets known. It also enables NGTS to provide high-precison photometric support to large facilities such as the Very Large Telescope and the Extremely Large Telescope, PLATO and Ariel. This is often needed in order to mitigate the effects of stellar activity in exoplanet observations. In addition, the observatory is used for the on-sky testing of new camera technologies, in collaboration with the UK-based company Andor (a subsidiary of Oxford Instruments). 
URL https://ngtransits.org/
 
Description A talk at Leicester Grammar School - May 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact A talk on hunting for exoplanets
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description A talk to Melton Astronomical Society - Mar 2025 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Lecture and discussion on searching for life in the Solar System and on Exoplanets
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2025
URL https://meltonastronomical.weebly.com
 
Description A talk to Melton Astronomical Society - Nov 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Lecture and discussion on detecting and studying exoplanet atmospheres.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://meltonastronomical.weebly.com
 
Description A talk to Melton Astronomical Society - Nov 2024 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Lecture and discussion on detecting and characterising exoplanets
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://meltonastronomical.weebly.com
 
Description A talk to Rugby Astronomical Society - Feb 2025 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Lecture and discussion on search for life in the Solar System and on exoplanets
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2025
URL https://www.rugbyastro.org.uk/
 
Description Planet Hunters NGTS Citizen Science Project (on zooniverse platform) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact 5500 volunteers from the general public are carrying out a citizen science project to find new extra-solar planets in the NGTS dataset
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021,2022,2023
URL https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/mschwamb/planet-hunters-ngts
 
Description Planetarium shows at the Bright Sparks STEM fair 2023 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact We took out STFC-funded mobile planetarium to the Bright Sparks STEM Fair in Leicester and gave a series of shows all day on the topic of STFC research. Total visitors in the planetarium was around 400 people, mostly children and acompyining adults.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.lgs-senior.org.uk/bright-sparks
 
Description Planetarium shows at the Bright Sparks STEM fair 2024 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact We took out STFC-funded mobile planetarium to the Bright Sparks STEM Fair in Leicester and gave a series of shows all day on the topic of STFC research. Total visitors in the planetarium was around 400 people, mostly children and acompyining adults.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://www.lgs-senior.org.uk/bright-sparks
 
Description Planetarium shows at the Bright Sparks STEM fair 2025 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact We took out STFC-funded mobile planetarium to the Bright Sparks STEM Fair in Leicester and gave a series of shows all day on the topic of STFC research. Total visitors in the planetarium was around 400 people, mostly children and acompyining adults.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2025
URL https://www.lgs-senior.org.uk/bright-sparks
 
Description Talk to Warwick Astronomical Society - Feb 2025 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact Lecture and discussion on detecting and studying exoplanet atmospheres.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2025
URL https://warwickastrosoc.wordpress.com
 
Description warwick open day talks 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact Talks to groups of 200-300 at University of Warwick open days
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019,2020,2021,2022,2023