GJ 3470 c: A Saturn-like Exoplanet Candidate in the Habitable Zone of GJ 3470

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a Saturn-like exoplanet candidate in the habitable zone of GJ 3470, identified through amateur astronomer observations, with potential implications for exoplanet research.

Contribution

First candidate exoplanet discovered via an international amateur astronomer project, orbiting GJ 3470 within the habitable zone.

Findings

Estimated radius of 9.2 Earth radii, similar to Saturn

Orbital period of 66 days within habitable zone

Detection of multiple transits supporting candidate status

Abstract

We report the discovery of a new exoplanet candidate orbiting the star GJ 3470. A total of three transits were detected by OKSky Observatory: the first one on December 23, 2019, the second one on February 27, 2020, and the third one on May 3, 2020. We estimate an average transit depth of 0.84 percent and duration of 1 hour and 2 minutes. Based on this parameter, we calculate a radius of 9.2 Earth radii, which would correspond to the size of a Saturn-like exoplanet. We also estimate an orbital period of 66 days that places the exoplanet inside the habitable zone, near the orbital distance at Earths equivalent radiation. Another twelve potential transits that do not belong to GJ 3470 b are also reported. Despite our candidate for GJ 3470 c still has to be confirmed by the scientific community, the discovery represents a turning point in exoplanet research for being the first candidate discovered through an international project managed by amateur astronomers.