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Sato Lab
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The lab uses large telescopes to discover and study planets outside the solar system.
AboutAbout the lab
Pioneering the world of exoplanets with ideas and perseverance.
The Sato Lab is an observational astronomy lab that studies planets orbiting stars other than the Sun (exoplanets).
Through observations with large telescopes, the lab discovers diverse planetary systems around a variety of stars and clarifies their properties.
Based on these results, it aims to achieve a unified understanding of how planetary systems form and evolve.
The lab's research covers not only exoplanets themselves but also planet-hosting stars, observing instruments, and data analysis methods.
Key terms
- Exoplanet
- A planet orbiting a star other than the Sun.
- Radial velocity method
- A method of finding planets by detecting, from shifts in the wavelength of light, the slight wobble of a star caused by the gravitational pull of a planet.
- High-dispersion spectrograph
- An observing instrument that splits light from an astronomical object into very fine colors (wavelengths) and precisely measures the intensity of light at each wavelength.
NewsLab news
View More ↗ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to discover exoplanets, study their properties, and clarify the formation and evolution of planetary systems through observation. It also works on developing and improving observing instruments and analysis methods.
*Illustrative imageSearching for exoplanets
Using large telescopes such as the Okayama 188 cm Telescope and the Subaru Telescope, the lab searches for planets orbiting various types of stars, including giant stars and Sun-like stars. It mainly uses the radial velocity method.
*Illustrative imageStudying exoplanet atmospheres and orbits
Using the change in light when a planet passes in front of its star, the lab studies the atmospheres of hot Jupiters and the tilt of planetary orbits, aiming to shed light on the history of how planets formed and evolved.
*Illustrative imageStudying planet-hosting stars
To learn what kinds of planets form around what kinds of stars, the lab studies the mass, radius, and heavy-element content of the host stars, as well as magnetic activity such as starspots and flares.
*Illustrative imagePursuing observing instruments and methods
Using high-dispersion spectrographs, the lab precisely measures the intensity of light and its variations to determine the elemental composition of stellar atmospheres and radial velocities. It also works on developing and improving such instruments and measurement methods.
MembersFaculty
Members of the Sato Lab consist of faculty members and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorBun'Ei SatoPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorStevanus Kristianto NugrohoPublications ↗
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images.
- Top image: “Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea (geminiann12013b)” International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Subaru Observatory / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Searching for exoplanets: “NOAO 188cm telescope” User:きたし / Public domain (cropped)
- Studying exoplanet atmospheres and orbits: “NASA's SDO Satellite Captures First Image of 2012 Venus Transit (Full Disc)” NASA/SDO, HMI / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Studying planet-hosting stars: “NASA's SDO Observes Largest Sunspot of the Solar Cycle ( )” NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA / Public domain (cropped)
- Pursuing observing instruments and methods: “High resolution solar spectrum (noao-sun)” N.A. Sharp/KPNO/NOIRLab/NSO/NSF/AURA / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (奥住研究室): “HL Tau protoplanetary disk” ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (関根研究室): “Dramatic plumes, both large and small, spray water ice out from many locations along the famed tiger stripes near the south pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus in this image released on Feb 23 (newly-found-organics-in-enceladus-plumes)” NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (中本研究室): “Artist’s impression of protoplanetary disc (weic2329a)” ESO/L. Calçada / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (玄田研究室): “The Earth seen from Apollo 17” NASA/Apollo 17 crew / Public domain (cropped)
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