The Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exoearths with Near-infrared and optical Echelle Spectrographs is an instrument consisting of two spectrographs, designed to look for Earth-sized exoplanets using the radial velocity method. It is installed at the 3.5-Meter-telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory in Andalusia, Spain.
CARMENES was designed built by a consortium of 11 institutions from Spain and Germany. It started observations in 2016 and has found 69 planets to date, and has been furthermore involved in the characterization and confirmation of others.
Links for further reading:
- Website of the CARMENES Consortium
- CARMENES overview paper: Quirrenbach et al. (2016)