SPHERE

The prime objective of the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet Research (SPHERE) instrument for the VLT is the discovery and study of new extra-solar giant planets orbiting nearby stars by direct imaging of their circumstellar environment. SPHERE will greatly contribute to the field of extra-solar planets studies, already very active, particularly by offering direct detections of planets more massive than Jupiter at various stages of their evolution, in the key separation regime between 1 and 100 AUs. Migration mechanisms will then be better understood.

SPHERE on the VLT UT 3 Nasmyth platform