Nanosatellites like this one are part of an international network of instrument to monitor massive stars, the source of all heavy elements in the universe (Photo credit: University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies – Space Flight Laboratory)
At 15:11:11 Eastern Daylight Time on July 19, 2014, two Canadian-designed satellites were launched from Yasny, Russia.
Named BRITE-Toronto and BRITE-Montreal, these devices – no bigger than a car battery – will stare for long periods of time at the brightest stars in the night sky, monitoring shifts in their brightness and colour. Monitoring these shifts will help scientists understand the processes at work inside these massive stars, which are the source of all heavier elements in the universe, including those that form rocky planets and the organic molecules that sustain life.
Contact: Anthony Moffat (Project Lead), Département de physique, Université de Montréal, via William Raillant-Clark, (Media Relations, Université de Montréal, 514-343-7593
Contact: Dr. Robert E. Zee, University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies – Space Flight Laboratory, 416-667-7400, info@utias-sfl.net, www.utias-sfl.net
