K2 discovers a busy bee: an unusual transiting Neptune found in the beehive cluster
Article
Article Title | K2 discovers a busy bee: an unusual transiting Neptune found in the beehive cluster |
---|---|
ERA Journal ID | 1048 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Obermeier, Christian (Author), Henning, Thomas (Author), Schlieder, Joshua E. (Author), Crossfield, Ian J. M. (Author), Petigura, Erik A. (Author), Howard, Andrew W. (Author), Sinukoff, Evan (Author), Isaacson, Howard (Author), Ciardi, David R. (Author), David, Trevor J. (Author), Hillenbrand, Lynne A. (Author), Beichman, Charles A. (Author), Howell, Steve B. (Author), Horch, Elliott (Author), Everett, Mark (Author), Hirsch, Lea (Author), Teske, Johanna (Author), Christiansen, Jessie L. (Author), Lepine, Sebastien (Author), Aller, Kimberly M. (Author), Liu, Michael C. (Author), Saglia, Roberto P. (Author), Livingston, John (Author) and Kluge, Matthias (Author) |
Journal Title | The Astronomical Journal |
Journal Citation | 152 (6), pp. 223-234 |
Article Number | 223 |
Number of Pages | 12 |
Year | 2016 |
Publisher | IOP Publishing |
Place of Publication | United States |
ISSN | 0004-6256 |
1538-3881 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/152/6/223 |
Web Address (URL) | http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/152/6/223 |
Abstract | Open clusters have been the focus of several exoplanet surveys, but only a few planets have so far been discovered. The Kepler spacecraft revealed an abundance of small planets around small cool stars, therefore, such cluster members are prime targets for exoplanet transit searches. Kepler's new mission, K2, is targeting several open clusters and star-forming regions around the ecliptic to search for transiting planets around their low-mass constituents. Here, we report the discovery of the first transiting planet in the intermediate-age (800 Myr) Beehive cluster (Praesepe). K2-95 is a faint (Kp = 15.5 mag) dwarf from K2's Campaign 5 with an effective temperature of 3471 ±124 K, approximately solar metallicity and a radius of 0.402± 0.050.R⊕ We detected a transiting planet with a radius of3.47+0.78 -0.53R⊕ and an orbital period of 10.134 days. We combined photometry, medium/high-resolution spectroscopy, adaptive optics/speckle imaging, and archival survey images to rule out any false-positive detection scenarios, validate the planet, and further characterize the system. The planet's radius is very unusual as M-dwarf field stars rarely have Neptune-sized transiting planets. The comparatively large radius of K2-95b is consistent with the other recently discovered cluster planets K2-25b (Hyades) and K2-33b (Upper Scorpius), indicating systematic differences in their evolutionary states or formation. These discoveries from K2 provide a snapshot of planet formation and evolution in cluster environments and thus make excellent laboratories to test differences between field-star and cluster planet populations. |
Keywords | eclipses; stars; K2-95; low-mass stars; photometric; spectroscopic; |
Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 510109. Stellar astronomy and planetary systems |
519999. Other physical sciences not elsewhere classified | |
Public Notes | For access to this article, please click on the URL link provided. |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
Byline Affiliations | Max Planck Society, Germany |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States | |
University of Arizona, United States | |
California Institute of Technology (Caltech), United States | |
University of Hawaii, United States | |
University of California, United States | |
Southern Connecticut State University, United States | |
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, United States | |
Carnegie Institution of Washington, United States | |
NASA Ames Research Center, United States | |
Georgia State University, United States | |
University of Tokyo, Japan |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q42yz/k2-discovers-a-busy-bee-an-unusual-transiting-neptune-found-in-the-beehive-cluster
1228
total views78
total downloads2
views this month0
downloads this month