A Photometric Survey for Variables and Transits in the Field of Praesepe with KELT

TL;DR

This study used the KELT telescope to survey the Praesepe cluster, discovering 194 new variable stars and identifying two potential planetary transits among 69,337 observed stars.

Contribution

It presents the first wide-field photometric survey of Praesepe with KELT, discovering numerous new variables and potential exoplanet transits.

Findings

194 new variable stars identified

4 transit candidates found

2 candidates remain as potential exoplanets

Abstract

The Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT) project is a small aperture, wide-angle search for planetary transits of solar-type stars. In this paper, we present the results of a commissioning campaign with the KELT telescope to observe the open cluster Praesepe for 34 nights in early 2005. Lightcurves were obtained for 69,337 stars, out of which we identify 58 long period variables and 152 periodic variables. Sixteen of these are previously known as variable, yielding 194 newly discovered variable stars for which we provide properties and lightcurves. We also searched for planetary-like transits, finding four transit candidates. Follow-up observations indicate that two of the candidates are astrophysical false positives, with two candidates remaining as potential planetary transits.