10 research outputs found

    Zodiacal Exoplanets in Time (ZEIT). VI. A Three-planet System in the Hyades Cluster Including an Earth-sized Planet

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    Planets in young clusters are powerful probes of the evolution of planetary systems. Here we report the discovery of three planets transiting EPIC 247589423, a late-K dwarf in the Hyades (≃800 Myr) cluster, and robust detection limits for additional planets in the system. The planets were identified from their K2 light curves as part of our survey of young clusters and star-forming regions. The smallest planet has a radius comparable to Earth (), making it one of the few Earth-sized planets with a known, young age. The two larger planets are likely a mini-Neptune and a super-Earth, with radii of 291+0.11-0.10and 1.45+0.11-0.08 , respectively. The predicted radial velocity signals from these planets are between 0.4 and 2 m s-1, achievable with modern precision RV spectrographs. Because the target star is bright (V = 11.2) and has relatively low-amplitude stellar variability for a young star (2-6 mmag), EPIC 247589423 hosts the best known planets in a young open cluster for precise radial velocity follow-up, enabling a robust test of earlier claims that young planets are less dense than their older counterparts

    A Hot Saturn near (but Unassociated with) the Open Cluster NGC 1817

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    We report on the discovery of a hot Saturn-sized planet (9.916 ±0.985 R ⊕) around a late F-star, K2-308, observed in Campaign 13 of the K2 mission. We began studying this planet candidate because prior to the release of Gaia DR2, the host star was thought to have been a member (membership probability) of the open cluster NGC 1817 based on its kinematics and photometric distance. We identify the host star (among three stars within the K2 photometric aperture) using seeing-limited photometry and rule out false-positive scenarios using adaptive optics imaging and radial velocity observations. We statistically validate K2-308b by calculating a false-positive probability rate of . However, we also show using new kinematic measurements provided by Gaia DR2 and our measured radial velocity of the system that K2-308 is unassociated with the cluster NGC 1817. Therefore, the long running search for a giant transiting planet in an open cluster remains fruitless. Finally, we note that our use of seeing-limited photometry is a good demonstration of similar techniques that are already being used to follow up Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) planet candidates, especially in crowded regions

    Zodiacal Exoplanets in Time (ZEIT). VII. A Temperate Candidate Super-Earth in the Hyades Cluster

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    Transiting exoplanets in young open clusters present opportunities to study how exoplanets evolve over their lifetimes. Recently, significant progress detecting transiting planets in young open clusters has been made with the K2 mission, but so far all of these transiting cluster planets orbit close to their host stars, so planet evolution can only be studied in a high-irradiation regime. Here, we report the discovery of a long-period planet candidate, called HD 283869 b, orbiting a member of the Hyades cluster. Using data from the K2 mission, we detected a single transit of a super-Earth-sized (1.96 0.12 R ⊕) planet candidate orbiting the K-dwarf HD 283869 with a period longer than 72 days. As we only detected a single-transit event, we cannot validate HD 283869 b with high confidence, but our analysis of the K2 images, archival data, and follow-up observations suggests that the source of the event is indeed a transiting planet. We estimated the candidate's orbital parameters and find that if real, it has a period P ≈ 100 days and receives approximately Earth-like incident flux, giving the candidate a 71% chance of falling within the circumstellar habitable zone. If confirmed, HD 283869 b would have the longest orbital period, lowest incident flux, and brightest host star of any known transiting planet in an open cluster, making it uniquely important to future studies of how stellar irradiation affects planetary evolution

    Two Young Planetary Systems around Field Stars with Ages between 20 and 320 Myr from TESS

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    Planets around young stars trace the early evolution of planetary systems. We report the discovery and validation of two planetary systems with ages <∌300Myr from observations by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The 40 V320 Myr old G star TOI-251 hosts a 2.74+0.18-0.18 mini-Neptune with a 4.94 day period. The 20-160 Myr old K star TOI-942 hosts a system of inflated Neptune-sized planets, with TOI-942b orbiting in a period of 4.32 days with a radius of 4.81+0.20-0.20 and TOI-942c orbiting in a period of 10.16 days with a radius of 5.79-0.18+0.19 Though we cannot place either host star into a known stellar association or cluster, we can estimate their ages via their photometric and spectroscopic properties. Both stars exhibit significant photometric variability due to spot modulation, with measured rotation periods of .3.5 days. These stars also exhibit significant chromospheric activity, with age estimates from the chromospheric calcium emission lines and X-ray fluxes matching that estimated from gyrochronology. Both stars also exhibit significant lithium absorption, similar in equivalent width to well-characterized young cluster members. TESS has the potential to deliver a population of young planet-bearing field stars, contributing significantly to tracing the properties of planets as a function of their age

    TOI 564 b and TOI 905 b: Grazing and Fully Transiting Hot Jupiters Discovered by TESS

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    We report the discovery and confirmation of two new hot Jupiters discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS): TOI 564 b and TOI 905 b. The transits of these two planets were initially observed by TESS with orbital periods of 1.651 and 3.739 days, respectively. We conducted follow-up observations of each system from the ground, including photometry in multiple filters, speckle interferometry, and radial velocity measurements. For TOI 564 b, our global fitting revealed a classical hot Jupiter with a mass of MJ and a radius of RJ. Also a classical hot Jupiter, TOI 905 b has a mass of MJ and radius of RJ. Both planets orbit Sun-like, moderately bright, mid-G dwarf stars with V ∌ 11. While TOI 905 b fully transits its star, we found that TOI 564 b has a very high transit impact parameter of, making it one of only ∌20 known systems to exhibit a grazing transit and one of the brightest host stars among them. Therefore, TOI 564 b is one of the most attractive systems to search for additional nontransiting, smaller planets by exploiting the sensitivity of grazing transits to small changes in inclination and transit duration over a timescale of several years

    An Eccentric Massive Jupiter Orbiting a Subgiant on a 9.5-day Period Discovered in the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite Full Frame Images

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    We report the discovery of TOI-172 b from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission, a massive hot Jupiter transiting a slightly evolved G star with a 9.48-day orbital period. This is the first planet to be confirmed from analysis of only the TESS full frame images, because the host star was not chosen as a two-minute cadence target. From a global analysis of the TESS photometry and follow-up observations carried out by the TESS Follow-up Observing Program Working Group, TOI-172 (TIC 29857954) is a slightly evolved star with an effective temperature of T eff = 5645 ± 50 K, a mass of M ∗ = 1.128-0.061 +0.065 M o, radius of R ∗ = 1.777-0.044 +0.047 R o, a surface gravity of log g ∗ = 3.993-0.028 +0.027, and an age of 7.4-1.5 +1.6. Its planetary companion (TOI-172 b) has a radius of R P = 0.965-0.029 +0.032 R J, a mass of M P = 5.42-0.20 +0.22 M J, and is on an eccentric orbit (e = 0.3806-0.0090 +0.0093 ). TOI-172 b is one of the few known massive giant planets on a highly eccentric short-period orbit. Future study of the atmosphere of this planet and its system architecture offer opportunities to understand the formation and evolution of similar systems

    TOI-481 b and TOI-892 b: Two Long-period Hot Jupiters from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite

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    We present the discovery of two new 10 day period giant planets from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission, whose masses were precisely determined using a wide diversity of ground-based facilities. TOI-481 b and TOI-892 b have similar radii (0.99 0.01 and 1.07 0.02, respectively), and orbital periods (10.3311 days and 10.6266 days, respectively), but significantly different masses (1.53 0.03, respectively). Both planets orbit metal-rich stars ( = dex and = for TOI-481 and TOI-892, respectively) but at different evolutionary stages. TOI-481 is a = 1.14 0.02 = 1.66 0.02 G-type star (=K), that with an age of 6.7 Gyr, is in the turn-off point of the main sequence. TOI-892 on the other hand, is a F-type dwarf star (=K), which has a mass of = 1.28 0.03 and a radius of = 1.39 0.02. TOI-481 b and TOI-892 b join the scarcely populated region of transiting gas giants with orbital periods longer than 10 days, which is important to constrain theories of the formation and structure of hot Jupiters

    TESS Delivers Five New Hot Giant Planets Orbiting Bright Stars from the Full-frame Images

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    We present the discovery and characterization of five hot and warm Jupiters - TOI-628 b (TIC 281408474; HD 288842), TOI-640 b (TIC 147977348), TOI-1333 b (TIC 395171208, BD+47 3521A), TOI-1478 b (TIC 409794137), and TOI-1601 b (TIC 139375960) - based on data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The five planets were identified from the full-frame images and were confirmed through a series of photometric and spectroscopic follow-up observations by the TESS Follow-up Observing Program Working Group. The planets are all Jovian size (R P = 1.01-1.77 R J) and have masses that range from 0.85 to 6.33 M J. The host stars of these systems have F and G spectral types (5595 ≀ T eff ≀ 6460 K) and are all relatively bright (9.5 1.7 R J, possibly a result of its host star's evolution) and resides on an orbit with a period longer than 5 days. TOI-628 b is the most massive, hot Jupiter discovered to date by TESS with a measured mass of 6.31-0.30+0.28 M J and a statistically significant, nonzero orbital eccentricity of e = 0.074-0.022+0.021. This planet would not have had enough time to circularize through tidal forces from our analysis, suggesting that it might be remnant eccentricity from its migration. The longest-period planet in this sample, TOI-1478 b (P = 10.18 days), is a warm Jupiter in a circular orbit around a near-solar analog. NASA's TESS mission is continuing to increase the sample of well-characterized hot and warm Jupiters, complementing its primary mission goals
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