A Possible Spin-Orbit Misalignment in the Transiting Eccentric Planet HD 17156b
Norio Narita, Bun'ei Sato, Osamu Ohshima, Joshua N. Winn
TL;DR
This study reports a potential significant spin-orbit misalignment in the transiting eccentric exoplanet HD 17156b, suggesting past gravitational interactions as a possible cause for its unusual orbital characteristics.
Contribution
First measurement of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect for HD 17156b indicating a large spin-orbit angle, highlighting possible dynamical history.
Findings
Spin-orbit angle of 62° ± 25° detected
High orbital eccentricity of 0.67 confirmed
Evidence suggests past gravitational interactions
Abstract
We present simultaneous photometric and spectroscopic observations of HD 17156b spanning a transit on UT 2007 November 12. This system is of special interest because of its 21-day period (unusually long for a transiting planet) and its high orbital eccentricity of 0.67. By modeling the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect, we find the angle between the sky projections of the orbital axis and the stellar rotation axis to be . Such a large spin-orbit misalignment, as well as the large eccentricity, could be explained as the relic of a previous gravitational interaction with other planets.
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