SharkNir-ES-1 run (October 24th - 29th, 2023)

• Early science run 1: Coronagraphic images acquisition of scientific targets with debris disk searching for companion, with disk in Taurus region and with strong PMa signal.

The circumstellar disk of MWC 758 as imaged by SHARK-NIR, with its two known spirals arms clearly visible.

Left panel: ADI image, reduced with 5-modes PCA technique. Right panel: RDI image from 5-modes full-frame PCA using the Vortex Image Processing (VIP) software package.

MWC758 disk

The disk of MWC758 as imaged by SHARK-NIR. 

The two known spirals arms are clearly visible. It is thought that these structure are caused by the presence of a hidden low-mass companion (not visible in our image).

We performed a 80 min observation in CI mode with the Gaussian Lyot coronagraph. Data reduction was performed with 5 modes PCA technique. 

SharkNir-ES-4 (February 18th - 23th, 2024)

• Early science run 4: Coronagraphic images acquisition of scientific targets with strong PMa signal and for searching exoplanets around young stars. Spectroscopic images for characterization of known low-contrast stellar/BD companion. Direct imaging on satellites and snapshot searching for young BD companion to T Tauri star.

Target with strong PMa signal

The external bright companion is stellar and could justify the signal. 

The inner companion is in the planetary/ BD mass range (according to the system age, TBD) and need further confirmation.

Final images obtained for a star exhibiting high SNR= 4.18 PMa observed in October 2023, using SHARKNIR (left panel, reduced with a 5-mode PCA technique) and LMIRCam data (right panel), reduced with a 10-mode PCA technique). In both cases, a bright background object is visible South-East from the star. Adapted from Mesa et al., in prep.