Mauve: a three-year UV-Vis survey dedicated to monitor stellar activity and variability

Mauve is a satellite equipped with a 13-cm telescope and a UV-Visible spectrometer (with an
operative wavelength range of 200-700 nm) conceived to measure the stellar magnetic activity and
variability. The science program will be delivered via a multi-year collaborative survey program,
with thousands of hours each year available for long baseline observations of hundreds of stars,
unlocking a significant time domain astronomy opportunity. Mauve’s mission lifetime is 3 years
with the ambition of 5 years, and will cover a broad field of regard (–46.4 to 31.8 degrees in ICRS)
during this period. Booked to launch on October 2025, Mauve’s science team will form prior to the
launch date, defining the observation strategy and targets.
This facility was conceived to support pilot studies and new ideas in science and is fully dedicated
to time-domain astronomy. The main surveys to be executed by Mauve are long baseline
observations of Flare Stars (eruptive Wolf–Rayet stars, UV Ceti stars, etc.), RS CVn variables,
Eclipsing Binaries, Herbig Ae/Be stars, Exoplanet hosts, Hot Stars, etc. Besides these major science
themes, the spectrometer’s data can be utilized to support and complement existing and upcoming
facilities as a pathfinder, or conduct simultaneous/follow-up observations.