Invisible women: Gender representation in high school science courses across Australia

The visibility of female role models in science is vital for engaging and retaining women in scientific fields. In this study, we analyse four senior secondary science courses delivered across the states and territories in Australia: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Physics. We compared male and female representation within the science courses by examining the mentions of male and female scientists along with the context of their inclusions in the syllabuses. We find a clear gender bias with only one unique mention of a female scientist. We also find a clear Eurocentric focus and narrow representation of scientists. This bias will contribute to the continuing low engagement of women in scientific fields. We outline possible solutions to address this issue, including the accreditation of scientific discoveries to include female scientists and explicit discussion of structural barriers preventing the participation and progression of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)

Around the hybrid conference world in the COVID-19 era

In-person and online conferences each have their benefits, with hybrid conferences intended to blend the best of both worlds. But do hybrid conferences fulfil the promise? Fifteen attendees across three global conferences share their collective experiences.Peer reviewe

Characterizing a World Within the Hot-Neptune Desert: Transit Observations of LTT 9779 b with the Hubble Space Telescope/WFC3

We present an atmospheric analysis of LTT 9779 b, a rare planet situated in the hot-Neptune desert, that has been observed with Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/WFC3 with G102 and G141. The combined transmission spectrum, which covers 0.8–1.6 μm, shows a gradual increase in transit depth with wavelength. Our preferred atmospheric model shows evidence for H2O, CO2, and FeH with a significance of 3.1σ, 2.4σ, and 2.1σ, respectively. In an attempt to constrain the rate of atmospheric escape for this planet, we search for the 1.083 μm helium line in the G102 data but find no evidence of excess absorption that would indicate an escaping atmosphere using this tracer. We refine the orbital ephemerides of LTT 9779 b using our HST data and observations from TESS, searching for evidence of orbital decay or apsidal precession, which are not found. The phase-curve observation of LTT 9779 b with JWST NIRISS should provide deeper insights into the atmosphere of this planet and the expected atmospheric escape might be detected with further observations concentrated on other tracers such as Lyα

Characterising a World Within the Hot Neptune Desert: Transit Observations of LTT 9779 b with HST WFC3

We present an atmospheric analysis of LTT 9779 b, a rare planet situated in the hot Neptune desert, that has been observed with HST WFC3 G102 and G141. The combined transmission spectrum, which covers 0.8 - 1.6 $\mu$m, shows a gradual increase in transit depth with wavelength. Our preferred atmospheric model shows evidence for H$_{\rm 2}$O, CO$_{\rm 2}$ and FeH with a significance of 3.1 $\sigma$, 2.4 $\sigma$ and 2.1 $\sigma$, respectively. In an attempt to constrain the rate of atmospheric escape for this planet, we search for the 1.083 $\mu$m Helium line in the G102 data but find no evidence of excess absorption that would indicate an escaping atmosphere using this tracer. We refine the orbital ephemerides of LTT 9779 b using our HST data and observations from TESS, searching for evidence of orbital decay or apsidal precession, which is not found. The phase-curve observation of LTT 9779 b with JWST NIRISS should provide deeper insights into the atmosphere of this planet and the expected atmospheric escape might be detected with further observations concentrated on other tracers such as Lyman $\alpha$.Comment: Accepted for publication in A

Two mini-Neptunes Transiting the Adolescent K-star HIP 113103 Confirmed with TESS and CHEOPS

We report the discovery of two mini-Neptunes in near 2:1 resonance orbits ($P=7.610303$ d for HIP 113103 b and $P=14.245651$ d for HIP 113103 c) around the adolescent K-star HIP 113103 (TIC 121490076). The planet system was first identified from the TESS mission, and was confirmed via additional photometric and spectroscopic observations, including a $\sim$17.5 hour observation for the transits of both planets using ESA CHEOPS. We place $\leq4.5$ min and $\leq2.5$ min limits on the absence of transit timing variations over the three year photometric baseline, allowing further constraints on the orbital eccentricities of the system beyond that available from the photometric transit duration alone. With a planetary radius of $R_{p}=1.829^{+0.096}_{-0.067}\,R_{\oplus}$, HIP 113103 b resides within the radius gap, and this might provide invaluable information on the formation disparities between super-Earths and mini-Neptunes. Given the larger radius $R_{p}=2.40^{+0.10}_{-0.08}\,R_{\oplus}$ for HIP 113103 c, and close proximity of both planets to HIP 113103, it is likely that HIP 113103 b might have lost (or is still losing) its primordial atmosphere. We therefore present simulated atmospheric transmission spectra of both planets using JWST, HST, and Twinkle. It demonstrates a potential metallicity difference (due to differences in their evolution) would be a challenge to detect if the atmospheres are in chemical equilibrium. As one of the brightest multi sub-Neptune planet systems suitable for atmosphere follow up, HIP 113103 b and HIP 113103 c could provide insight on planetary evolution for the sub-Neptune K-star population.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Societ

Twinkle -- a small satellite spectroscopy mission for the next phase of exoplanet science

With a focus on off-the-shelf components, Twinkle is the first in a series of cost competitive small satellites managed and financed by Blue Skies Space Ltd. The satellite is based on a high-heritage Airbus platform that will carry a 0.45 m telescope and a spectrometer which will provide simultaneous wavelength coverage from 0.5-4.5 $\rm{\mu m}$. The spacecraft prime is Airbus Stevenage while the telescope is being developed by Airbus Toulouse and the spectrometer by ABB Canada. Scheduled to begin scientific operations in 2025, Twinkle will sit in a thermally-stable, sun-synchronous, low-Earth orbit. The mission has a designed operation lifetime of at least seven years and, during the first three years of operation, will conduct two large-scale survey programmes: one focused on Solar System objects and the other dedicated to extrasolar targets. Here we present an overview of the architecture of the mission, refinements in the design approach, and some of the key science themes of the extrasolar survey.Comment: Presented at SPIE Astronomical Telescopes & Instrumentation 202

A mini-Neptune from TESS and CHEOPS around the 120 Myr Old AB Dor Member HIP 94235

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission has enabled discoveries of the brightest transiting planet systems around young stars. These systems are the benchmarks for testing theories of planetary evolution. We report the discovery of a mini-Neptune transiting a bright star in the AB Doradus moving group. HIP 94235 (TOI-4399, TIC 464646604) is a Vmag = 8.31 G-dwarf hosting a ${3.00}_{-0.28}^{+0.32}\,{R}_{\oplus }$ mini-Neptune in a 7.7 day period orbit. HIP 94235 is part of the AB Doradus moving group, one of the youngest and closest associations. Due to its youth, the host star exhibits significant photometric spot modulation, lithium absorption, and X-ray emission. Three 0.06% transits were observed during Sector 27 of the TESS Extended Mission, though these transit signals are dwarfed by the 2% peak-to-peak photometric variability exhibited by the host star. Follow-up observations with the Characterising Exoplanet Satellite confirmed the transit signal and prevented the erosion of the transit ephemeris. HIP 94235 is part of a 50 au G-M binary system. We make use of diffraction limited observations spanning 11 yr, and astrometric accelerations from Hipparcos and Gaia, to constrain the orbit of HIP 94235 B. HIP 94235 is one of the tightest stellar binaries to host an inner planet. As part of a growing sample of bright, young planet systems, HIP 94235 b is ideal for follow-up transit observations, such as those that investigate the evaporative processes driven by high-energy radiation that may sculpt the valleys and deserts in the Neptune population

Multiepoch Detections of the Extended Atmosphere and Transmission Spectra of KELT-9b with a 1.5 m Telescope

Irradiated Jovian atmospheres are complex and dynamic and can undergo temporal variations due to the close proximity of their parent stars. Of the Jovian planets that have been cataloged to date, KELT-9b is the hottest gas giant known, with an equilibrium temperature of 4050 K. We probe the temporal variability of transmission spectroscopic signatures from KELT-9b via a set of archival multiyear ground-based transit observations, performed with the TRES facility on the 1.5 m reflector at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory. Our observations confirm past detections of Fe i , Fe ii , and Mg i over multiple epochs, in addition to excess absorption at H α , which is an indicator for ongoing mass loss. From our multiyear data set, the H α light curve consistently deviates from a standard transit and follows a “W” shape that is deeper near ingress and egress and shallower midtransit. To search for and quantify any seasonal variations that may be present, we parameterize a “cometary tail” model to fit for the H α transit. We find no detectable variations between the different observed epochs. Though a “cometary tail” describes the H α flux variations well, we note that such a scenario requires a high density of neutral hydrogen in the n = 2 excited state far beyond the planetary atmosphere. Other scenarios, such as center-to-limb variations larger than that expected from 1D atmosphere models, may also contribute to the observed H α transit shape. These multiepoch observations highlight the capabilities of small telescopes to provide temporal monitoring of the dynamics of exoplanet atmospheres

Evidence for Low-level Dynamical Excitation in Near-resonant Exoplanet Systems

The geometries of near-resonant planetary systems offer a relatively pristine window into the initial conditions of exoplanet systems. Given that near-resonant systems have likely experienced minimal dynamical disruptions, the spin–orbit orientations of these systems inform the typical outcomes of quiescent planet formation, as well as the primordial stellar obliquity distribution. However, few measurements have been made to constrain the spin–orbit orientations of near-resonant systems. We present a Rossiter–McLaughlin measurement of the near-resonant warm Jupiter TOI-2202 b, obtained using the Carnegie Planet Finder Spectrograph on the 6.5 m Magellan Clay Telescope. This is the eighth result from the Stellar Obliquities in Long-period Exoplanet Systems survey. We derive a sky-projected 2D spin–orbit angle $\lambda ={26}_{-15}^{+12}{^\circ}$ and a 3D spin–orbit angle $\psi ={31}_{-11}^{+13}{^\circ}$ , finding that TOI-2202 b—the most massive near-resonant exoplanet with a 3D spin–orbit constraint to date—likely deviates from exact alignment with the host star’s equator. Incorporating the full census of spin–orbit measurements for near-resonant systems, we demonstrate that the current set of near-resonant systems with period ratios P _2 / P _1 ≲ 4 is generally consistent with a quiescent formation pathway, with some room for low-level (≲20°) protoplanetary disk misalignments or post-disk-dispersal spin–orbit excitation. Our result constitutes the first population-wide analysis of spin–orbit geometries for near-resonant planetary systems

Characterising a World Within the Hot Neptune Desert: Transit Observations of LTT 9779 b with HST WFC3

We present an atmospheric analysis of LTT 9779 b, a rare planet situated in the hot Neptune desert, that has been observed with HST WFC3 G102 and G141. The combined transmission spectrum, which covers 0.8 - 1.6 μm, shows a gradual increase in transit depth with wavelength. Our preferred atmospheric model shows evidence for H2O, CO2 and FeH with a significance of 3.1 σ, 2.4 σ and 2.1 σ, respectively. In an attempt to constrain the rate of atmospheric escape for this planet, we search for the 1.083 μm Helium line in the G102 data but find no evidence of excess absorption that would indicate an escaping atmosphere using this tracer. We refine the orbital ephemerides of LTT 9779 b using our HST data and observations from TESS, searching for evidence of orbital decay or apsidal precession, which is not found. The phase-curve observation of LTT 9779 b with JWST NIRISS should provide deeper insights into the atmosphere of this planet and the expected atmospheric escape might be detected with further observations concentrated on other tracers such as Lyman α