Untapped: Veloce detects calcium in the atmosphere of WASP-189b
Article
| Article Title | Untapped: Veloce detects calcium in the atmosphere of WASP-189b |
|---|---|
| ERA Journal ID | 40237 |
| Article Category | Article |
| Authors | Borsato, Nicholas W., Krueger, Joachim, Zucker, Daniel B., Murphy, Simon J., Wright, Duncan and Martell, Sarah L. |
| Journal Title | Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia |
| Journal Citation | 42 |
| Article Number | e134 |
| Number of Pages | 7 |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Place of Publication | United Kingdom |
| ISSN | 1323-3580 |
| 1448-6083 | |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1017/pasa.2025.10097 |
| Web Address (URL) | https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/publications-of-the-astronomical-society-of-australia/article/untapped-veloce-detects-calcium-in-the-atmosphere-of-wasp189b/33FB60EEECA9353788F96D57E243DD0E |
| Abstract | High-resolution transmission spectroscopy has become a powerful tool for detecting atomic and ionic species in the atmospheres of ultrahot Jupiters. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that the Australian-built Veloce spectrograph on the 3.9-m Anglo-Australian Telescope can resolve atmospheric signatures from transiting exoplanets. We observed a single transit of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-189b – a favourable target given its extreme irradiation and bright host star – and applied the cross-correlation technique using standardised templates. We robustly detect ionised calcium (Ca+) and find evidence for hydrogen (H), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), neutral calcium (Ca), titanium (Ti), ionised titanium (Ti+), ionised iron (Fe+), neutral iron (Fe), and ionised strontium (Sr+). The strongest detection was achieved in the red arm of Veloce, consistent with expectations due to the prominent Ca+ triplet at wavelengths around 850–870 nm. Our results validate Veloce’s capability for high-resolution atmospheric studies, highlighting it as an accessible, flexible facility to complement larger international telescopes. If future observations stack multiple transits, Veloce has the potential to reveal atmospheric variability, phase-dependent spectral changes, and detailed chemical compositions of highly irradiated exoplanets. |
| Keywords | Planets and satellites; atmospheres; planets and satellites; individual; ASP-189b; instrumentation; spectrographs; techniques; spectroscopic |
| Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 510109. Stellar astronomy and planetary systems |
| Byline Affiliations | Macquarie University |
| Lund University, Sweden | |
| Centre for Astrophysics | |
| University of New South Wales |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/101516/untapped-veloce-detects-calcium-in-the-atmosphere-of-wasp-189b
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