The STAR-X Observing Plan: Surveying the Fast, Furious and Forming Universe in X-rays and UV

The Survey and Time-domain Astrophysics Research eXplorer (STAR-X) is a proposed MIDEX mission that was recently selected for a competitive MIDEX Phase A study. As an X-ray and UV facility designed to study the fast, furious and forming universe, STAR-X will conduct time-domain surveys and respond rapidly to transient events discovered by other observatories such as LIGO, Rubin/LSST, Roman/WFIRST, and SKA. Thus, it is a timely response to Astro2020’s recommendation for a space-based, sustaining time-domain and multi-messenger program. This poster presents the STAR-X observing plan and the key science that will be enabled by the planned surveys. The 2 year prime mission allocates 62% to time domain surveys. The two main surveys are the Deep Survey, which covers 12 deg² in the Rubin Deep-Drilling Fields, and a Medium Survey that covers 300 deg² in well-studied survey fields (e.g., Stripe 82, the Subaru fields and the Rubin Deep-Drilling Fields). More information about STAR-X, including the full team list, is available at http://star-x.xraydeep.org.