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TESS DISCOVERY OF A TRANSITING SUPER-EARTH IN THE π MENSAE SYSTEM
Chelsea X Huang1,2, Jennifer Burt1,2, Andrew Vanderburg3,4
1Department of Physics, and Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
The Astrophysical Journal. Letters
|July 31, 2019
Summary
Astronomers discovered a new transiting planet orbiting the bright star π Men using TESS data. This super-Earth sized exoplanet has a 6.27-day orbit and will enable detailed atmospheric studies.
Area of Science:
- Exoplanetary science
- Stellar astrophysics
- Transiting exoplanet surveys
Background:
- The π Men system hosts a known Jovian exoplanet.
- π Men is a bright, solar-type star (V=5.7) suitable for detailed observation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detect and characterize new exoplanets around the bright star π Men.
- To leverage TESS and ground-based observations for exoplanet discovery and validation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) for transit detection.
- Employed radial-velocity data from HARPS and AAT/UCLES for mass determination and confirmation.
Main Results:
- Detected a transiting exoplanet with a radius of 2.04 ± 0.05 Earth radii.
- Confirmed the planet's existence and determined its mass to be 4.82 ± 0.85 Earth masses.
- Established a precise orbital period of 6.27 days for the new exoplanet.
Conclusions:
- The newly discovered transiting exoplanet adds to the known planetary system around π Men.
- The star's proximity and brightness facilitate future in-depth studies, including atmospheric spectroscopy and direct imaging.
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