Next Generation of Telescopes or Dynamics Required to Determine if Exo-Moons have Prograde or Retrograde Orbits

TL;DR

This paper reviews current methods for detecting exomoons and highlights the challenges in distinguishing prograde from retrograde orbits, emphasizing the need for advanced observational techniques and dynamical analysis.

Contribution

It identifies the limitations of existing exomoon detection methods in determining orbit direction and suggests future observational strategies and dynamical considerations for this purpose.

Findings

Most detection methods cannot distinguish orbit direction.

Dynamical evolution can reveal orbit type in certain cases.

Direct imaging offers promising prospects for orbit determination.

Abstract

We survey the methods proposed in the literature for detecting moons of extrasolar planets in terms of their ability to distinguish between prograde and retrograde moon orbits, an important tracer of moon formation channel. We find that most moon detection methods, in particular, sensitive methods for detecting moons of transiting planets, cannot observationally distinguishing prograde and retrograde moon orbits. The prograde and retrograde cases can only be distinguished where dynamical evolution of the orbit due to e.g. three body effects is detectable, where one of the two cases is dynamically unstable or where new observational facilities which can implement a technique capable of differentiating the two cases, come on line. In particular, directly imaged planets are promising targets as repeated spectral and photometric measurements, required to determine moon orbit direction, could also be conducted with the primary interest of characterising the planet itself.