Red dwarfs (dwarf M stars) are by far the most numerous stars in our Galaxy, comprising more than 75% of all stars. These diminutive low mass stars have very slow nuclear fusion rates and thus very long lifetimes.Because of their long stable lifetimes, it is possible that planets

hosted by older dM stars could harbor life.

But to assess this possibility on planets in the ‘Habitable Zone’ orbiting a red

dwarf, we need to characterize the radiative environments these planets would be

subject to as the host star evolves. This will tell us what the likelihood is that complex

molecules can form, and whether life can evolve and have reasonable chance of

survival.

RCT research in the LWARD program is focused on monitoring the brightness of

red dwarfs of known age, and determining their rotation periods. For this purpose

the queue scheduling and routine monitoring capabilities of the RCT are extremely

useful in building up time series that can help calibrate an age-rotation relation.