Survey for Transiting Extrasolar Planets in Stellar Systems (STEPSS): The Frequency of Planets in NGC 1245

Details Survey for Transiting Extrasolar Planets in Stellar Systems (STEPSS): The Frequency of Planets in NGC 1245 Survey for Transiting Extrasolar Planets in Stellar Systems (STEPSS): The Frequency of Planets in NGC 1245

2002-08-15

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0208305v1

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

4 pages, 5 figures. To appear in the ASP Conference Series: Scientific Frontiers in Research on Extrasolar Planets, eds. D. De

Scientific paper

We present first results from the Survey for Transiting Extrasolar Planets in Stellar Systems (STEPSS). Our goal is to assess the frequency of close-in extrasolar planets around main-sequence stars in several open clusters. By concentrating on main-sequence stars in clusters of known (and varied) age, metallicity, and stellar density, we will gain insight into how these various properties affect planet formation, migration, and survival. We show preliminary results from our 19 night photometric campaign of the old, solar metallicity cluster NGC 1245. Taking into account the photometric precision, observational window function, transit probability, and total number of stars monitored, we estimate that we should be able to probe planetary companion fractions of <1% for separations of a<0.03 AU. If 1% of the stars in the cluster have Jupiter-sized companions evenly distributed in log(a) between 0.03 and 0.3 AU, we expect to find ~2 transits. A preliminary search of our light curve data has revealed a transit with a depth ~4%. Based on its shape, it is likely to be a grazing binary eclipse rather than a planetary transit, emphasizing the need for high temporal resolution in transit surveys.

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