Abstract

Contemplating the existence of worlds outside our solar system has always intrigued human interest. Since the discovery of the first exoplanet around the main- sequence star ~25 years ago, exoplanets have become the most coveted objects in the Galaxy. Stellar noise produced by magnetic activity such as flares, star spots, and plages mimics a low- mass exoplanet and creates spurious detections of atmospheric species. Although they are modelled for hindrance, stellar activity continues to affect detections by reducing the signal. In this talk, I will give an overview of the challenges that stellar activity poses for exoplanet detection and atmospheric characterisation. I will describe our ongoing project STellar ACtvity foreCAst for Optimal observations of exoplanets (STACCATO), which is a forecasting model to predict the optimal time for exoplanet detection and atmospheric characteristics reducing the need for stellar activity mitigation. I will also demonstrate how this project is synergistic with ongoing and upcoming missions such as HARPS3 , ARIEL and PLATO .