Detecting Extrasolar Planetary Transits Through Photoelectric Photometry

1
Detecting Extrasolar Planetary Transits Through
Photoelectric Photometry

• Violet Poole
• Dr. Matthew Beaky

2
Most extrasolar planets have been detected by
the radial velocity method
3
An extrasolar planetary transit is seen from
Earth as a dimming of light from the parent star
4
Extrasolar planetary transit observations are
usually made with CCD cameras
T. Castellano G. Laughlin, Proceedings of the
21st IAPPP-WW Conf., 2002
5
All observations were made at the Truman
Observatory in Kirksville, Missouri
Meade LX200GPS 14 inch SCT
Optec SSP3-A Photoelectric Photometer
6
Making photometric measurements of a
non-variable star established system precision
HD195019
7
A partial transit of HD209458 was observed
8
We made photometric observations of HD149026, a
planetary transit candidate
9
but we were unsuccessful in our effort to
observe a second transit
10
We later learned that HD149026 had in fact been
observed to transit
?m 0.003
N2K Consortium Astrophysical Journal 633, p.
465
11
Photoelectric photometry is a valid alternative
method for observing extrasolar planetary transits
Transit Search www.transitsearch.org
Transit Timing