Kepler & K2
The pipeline-processed data for K2 Campaign 16 are now available for download from the K2 data archive at MAST.
The target list featured 20,647 stars alongside 9,241 galaxies for the supernova experiment. Highlights included the M44 (Beehive) and M67 clusters, dozens of exoplanets and exoplanet candidates revealed by K2 Campaign 5, and many late-type flare stars observed in short cadence.
Uniquely, the spacecraft was pointing along the forward-facing direction of the spacecraft's velocity vector during this Campaign, which allowed the field to be accessed from Earth. This enabled K2's single-bandpass photometry to be complemented with simultaneous observations from the ground. For example, PanSTARRS monitored the entire field every night in two filters (cycling through g+r and g+i) for the purpose of providing early alerts for transients in the field, which were made public instantly via the Transient Name Server. The PanSTARRS imaging data are currently being transferred to the data archive at MAST and are expected to become available to the public in the course of July.
As a reminder: users are strongly encouraged to contact, cite, and collaborate with the teams who proposed the observations, as listed on the Approved Progams & Targets page.
Please keep an eye on our website for an announcement of the release and the associated data release notes.
