- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/806/183
- Title:
- Planet radii of Kepler Object of Interest
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/806/183
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The Kepler Mission has found thousands of planetary candidates with radii between 1 and 4R_{Earth}_. These planets have no analogues in our own solar system, providing an unprecedented opportunity to understand the range and distribution of planetary compositions allowed by planet formation and evolution. A precise mass measurement is usually required to constrain the possible composition of an individual super-Earth-sized planet, but these measurements are difficult and expensive to make for the majority of Kepler planet candidates (PCs). Fortunately, adopting a statistical approach helps us to address this question without them. In particular, we apply hierarchical Bayesian modeling to a subsample of Kepler PCs that is complete for P<25 days and R_pl_>1.2R_{Earth}_ and draw upon interior structure models that yield radii largely independent of mass by accounting for the thermal evolution of a gaseous envelope around a rocky core. Assuming the envelope is dominated by hydrogen and helium, we present the current-day composition distribution of the sub-Neptune-sized planet population and find that H+He envelopes are most likely to be ~1% of these planets' total masses with an intrinsic scatter of +/-0.5 dex. We address the gaseous/rocky transition and illustrate how our results do not result in a one-to-one relationship between mass and radius for this sub-Neptune population; accordingly, dynamical studies that wish to use Kepler data must adopt a probabilistic approach to accurately represent the range of possible masses at a given radius.
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- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/543/A45
- Title:
- Planets around metal-poor stars
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/543/A45
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The discovery of about 700 extrasolar planets, so far, has lead to the first statistics concerning extrasolar planets. The presence of giant planets seems to depend on stellar metallicity and mass. For example, they are more frequent around metal-rich stars, with an exponential increase in planet occurrence rates with metallicity. We analyzed two samples of metal-poor stars (-2.0<[Fe/H]<0.0) to see if giant planets are indeed rare around these objects. Radial velocity datasets were obtained with two different spectrographs (HARPS and HIRES). Detection limits for these data, expressed in minimum planetary mass and period, are calculated. These produce trustworthy numbers for the planet frequency. A general Lomb Scargle (GLS) periodogram analysis was used together with a bootstrapping method to produce the detection limits. Planet frequencies were calculated based on a binomial distribution function within metallicity bins. Almost all hot Jupiters and most giant planets should have been found in these data. Hot Jupiters around metal-poor stars have a frequency lower than 1.0% at one sigma. Giant planets with periods up to 1800 days, however, have a higher frequency of 2.63^+2.5^_-0.89_%. Taking into account the different metallicities of the stars, we show that giant planets appear to be very frequent (4.48^+4.04^_-1.38_%) around stars with [Fe/H]>-0.7, while they are rare around stars with [Fe/H]<-0.7. We conclude that giant planet frequency is indeed a strong function of metallicity, even in the low-metallicity tail. However, the frequencies are most likely higher than previously thought.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/790/146
- Title:
- Planets in Kepler's multi-transiting systems
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/790/146
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We report on the orbital architectures of Kepler systems having multiple-planet candidates identified in the analysis of data from the first six quarters of Kepler data and reported by Batalha et al. (2013, J/ApJS/204/24). These data show 899 transiting planet candidates in 365 multiple-planet systems and provide a powerful means to study the statistical properties of planetary systems. Using a generic mass-radius relationship, we find that only two pairs of planets in these candidate systems (out of 761 pairs total) appear to be on Hill-unstable orbits, indicating ~96% of the candidate planetary systems are correctly interpreted as true systems. We find that planet pairs show little statistical preference to be near mean-motion resonances. We identify an asymmetry in the distribution of period ratios near first-order resonances (e.g., 2:1, 3:2), with an excess of planet pairs lying wide of resonance and relatively few lying narrow of resonance. Finally, based upon the transit duration ratios of adjacent planets in each system, we find that the interior planet tends to have a smaller transit impact parameter than the exterior planet does. This finding suggests that the mode of the mutual inclinations of planetary orbital planes is in the range 1.{deg}0-2.{deg}2, for the packed systems of small planets probed by these observations.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/697/544
- Title:
- Planets orbiting metal-poor dwarfs. II.
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/697/544
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present an analysis of three years of precision radial velocity (RV) measurements of 160 metal-poor stars observed with HIRES on the Keck 1 telescope. We report on variability and long-term velocity trends for each star in our sample. We identify several long-term, low-amplitude RV variables worthy of followup with direct imaging techniques. We place lower limits on the detectable companion mass as a function of orbital period. Our survey would have detected, with a 99.5% confidence level, over 95% of all companions on low-eccentricity orbits with velocity semiamplitude K>~100m/s, or M_p_sini>~3.0M_J_(P/yr)^(1/3)^, for orbital periods P<~3yr. None of the stars in our sample exhibits RV variations compatible with the presence of Jovian planets with periods shorter than the survey duration.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/552/A119
- Title:
- Planet-star and moon-planet interaction
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/552/A119
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Electromagnetic coupling of planetary moons with their host planets is well observed in our solar system. Similar couplings of extrasolar planets with their central stars have been studied observationally on an individual as well as on a statistical basis. We aim to model and to better understand the energetics of planet star and moon planet interactions on an individual and as well as on a statistical basis.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/515/A32
- Title:
- Pluto, Charon, Nix, Hydra occultations 2008-15
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/515/A32
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We made the astrometry of 110GB of images with the Platform for Reduction of Astronomical Images Automatically (PRAIA). By relatively simple astrometric techniques, we treated the overlapping observations and derived a field distortion pattern for the WFI mosaic of CCDs to within 50mas precision. Positions were obtained in the UCAC2 frame with errors of 50mas for stars up to magnitude R=19, and 25mas up to R=17. New stellar proper motions were also determined with 2MASS and the USNO B1.0 catalog positions as first epoch. The catalog contains 2.24 million stars with proper motions, covering Pluto's sky path with 30 arcmin width. Its magnitude completeness is about R=18 with a limit about R=21. The catalog of star positions along Pluto's 2008-2015 sky path was built in the context of the investigation of Pluto and its satellites, aiming to support precise astrometric predictions for stellar occultations by Pluto, Charon, Hydra and Nix for the period 2008-2015. For that, we have carried out in 2007 an observational program at the ESO2p2/WFI instrument covering the sky path of Pluto from 2008 to 2015. We highlight the usefulness of this catalog as a reference frame for star/body astrometric follow-up before and after future stellar occultations involving the Pluto system. In this way, updates for the ephemeris offsets of these bodies and for the position of star candidates for occultations can be enhanced. Besides, the catalog also furnishes useful photometric information for field stars in the flux calibration of observed light curves. The prediction tables of stellar occultations by Pluto, Charon, Nix and Hydra for 2008-2015 were built for investigating the physical properties of Pluto and its satellites, for understanding in a broader sense transneptunian objects - keystones in the study of structure, origin and evolution of the Solar System. Our aim was to derive precise, astrometric predictions. We then constructed an astrometric star catalog in the UCAC2 system covering Pluto's sky path. For that, we have carried out in 2007 an observational program at the ESO2p2/WFI instrument covering the sky path of Pluto from 2008 to 2015. Based on the past 2005-8 occultations successfully predicted, recorded and fitted, a linear drift with time in declination with regard to DE418/plu017 ephemerides was determined for Pluto and used in the current predictions. For offset (mas)=A(t(yr)-2005.0)+B, we find A=+30.5+/-4.3mas/yr and B=-31.5+/-11.3mas, with standard deviation of 14.4mas for the offsets. For these past occultations, predictions and follow-up observations were made with the 0.6m and 1.6m telescopes at the Laboratorio Nacional de Astrofisica/Brazil. No ephemeris correction was applied for right ascension. Although an oscillation pattern related to an error in Pluto's heliocentric distance (geocentric parallax error) cannot be ruled out, none of the attempted models for this scenario could fit the more dispersed right ascension ephemeris offsets derived from the studied past occultations, at least not well below 50mas, in contrast with the standard deviation of only 14.4mas achieved for declination. The candidate stars listed in the prediction tables were searched using a proximity radius of 335mas with the geocentric apparent orbit (corrected by ephemeris offsets) of the body considered. This radius is about the apparent radius of Pluto (50mas) plus the apparent Earth radius (285mas) as projected in the sky plane at 31AU (Pluto-Earth distance for 2008-2015). No threshold in R magnitude was used in the search for candidates. Pluto is crossing interstellar clouds, so relatively faint R objects may turn out to be bright infrared stars, perfect targets for the SOFIA observatory and for ground-based instruments well equipped with H, J or K band detectors (H, J and K magnitudes are promptly available in the tables if the star belongs to the 2MASS). Besides, events may be also favored by slow shadow speeds of less than 20km/s. Also, no constraint on a geographic place was applied, as in principle SOFIA observations can be done from any sub-solar point on Earth. Events in daylight at sub-planet point were not excluded either, as they could yet be observable in the dark, right above the horizon, from places near the Earth terminator. We furnish here prediction tables for future and also for past stellar occultations covering the sky path by Pluto between 2008-2015. The importance of predictions for occultations still to come is obvious. But the predictions of past occultations are also useful for at least three reasons. First, they can be used by anyone as reference for ongoing fittings of light curves of recent past observed events. Second, they serve to derive ephemeris drifts by comparing expected and observed central instants and C/A values. Finally, they can be used as an external check for the accuracy and precision of our prediction tables. In a general sense, assuming a bulk error of 30mas for C/A from the estimated errors of the catalog star positions and from the errors of the derived ephemeris offsets, we can state that the shadow path uncertainties over Earth are on the order of less than 800km for the stellar occultation predictions of Pluto and Charon. Considering orbital issues and the smaller sizes of Nix and Hydra, the probability of success quoted for these two satellites are about 10-25%. This is not as high as hoped, but not despairingly small, especially if the event occurs above a dense, populated region in terms of astronomers, including amateurs.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+AS/118/105
- Title:
- Pluto 1991-1994 observations
- Short Name:
- J/A+AS/118/105
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- 55 equatorial geocentric coordinates of Pluto from the photographic observations for 1991-1994 are presented in the table. The observations were carried out by Latvian astronomers using the 80/120/240 cm Schmidt telescope at Baldone near Riga. 34 plates were measured and the positions of Pluto were reduced by using the 12-21 reference stars from catalogue of southern stars FOCAT-S, created at Pulkovo. The mean reduction errors vary from 0.23" to 0.34" for both coordinates. The obtained Pluto positions were compared with the ephemeris JPL DE200 (the residuals (O-C) were calculated). The increase of the average annual (O-C) residuals in RA, already noticed in previous works by the Pulkovo authors, is confirmed. From observations, represented in 1994 the (O-C) residuals with respect to DE200 have reached in RA +2.32+/-0.07" and in Dec. -0.74+/-0.07". More detailed information on obtaining the Pluto positions is given in Ryl'kov (1993) and Ryl'kov et.al. (1993).
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/454/683
- Title:
- Position of Uranian satellites
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/454/683
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Puck, a faint satellite very close to Uranus' planet, was discovered by Voyager 2 Spacecraft images in 1986. Ever since then, few observations from Earth have been made. This prompted us to start a program of systematic observations of this satellite with the 1.6m telescope at the Laboratorio Nacional de Astrofisica/MCT (Itajuba, Brazil). The success of the observations is mainly due to the use of a Coronagraph developed at Observatorio Nacional/MCT (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). This article presents astrometric positions obtained from Earth observations of Puck and of the five major Uranian satellites for four nights in 2004. Those positions are compared to the theoretically calculated positions from JPL Development Ephemeris. For Puck, the root mean square (rms) of the mean residual was found to be 84 milliarcseconds (mas). The stars' USNO-A2.0 catalog (<I/252>) was used as a reference system for the astrometric calibration.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/441/3543
- Title:
- Possible planets around A stars
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/441/3543
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Kepler photometry of A stars shows that a considerable fraction (about 19 per cent) have a peculiar feature in the periodogram. This feature consists of a broad peak, thought to be due to differential rotation in a spotted star, and a sharp peak at slightly higher frequency. The pattern clearly involves some widespread stellar property and the sharp peak implies a strictly coherent periodicity. We investigate the possibility that the periodicity is due to rotation, pulsation or an orbital effect. We argue that neither rotation nor pulsation can provide a suitable, testable, explanation. We suggest that the sharp feature could be due to a planet in synchronous orbit around the rapidly rotating, spotted A star, not necessarily in transit. Spectroscopic observations of sufficient precision are required to falsify this hypothesis.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/796/48
- Title:
- Potential exoplanet targets with Palomar/TripleSpec
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/796/48
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Here we explore the capabilities of NASA's 3.0 m Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) and SpeX spectrometer and the 5.08 m Hale telescope with the TripleSpec spectrometer with near-infrared H-, K-, and L-band measurements of HD 209458b's secondary eclipse. Our IRTF/SpeX data are the first absolute L-band spectroscopic emission measurements of any exoplanet other than the hot Jupiter HD 189733b. Previous measurements of HD 189733b's L band indicate bright emission hypothesized to result from non-LTE CH_4_{nu}_3_ fluorescence. We do not detect a similar bright 3.3 {mu}m feature to ~3{sigma}, suggesting that fluorescence does not need to be invoked to explain HD 209458b's L-band measurements. The validity of our observation and reduction techniques, which decrease the flux variance by up to 2.8 orders of magnitude, is reinforced by 1{sigma} agreement with existent Hubble/NICMOS and Spitzer/IRAC1 observations that overlap the H, K, and L bands, suggesting that both IRTF/SpeX and Palomar/TripleSpec can measure an exoplanet's emission with high precision.
