Rescuing Unrecognized Exoplanet Candidates in Kepler Data

TL;DR

This paper identifies previously unrecognized exoplanet candidates in Kepler data by manual examination, revealing new potential planets and multi-planet systems among the remaining unconfirmed signals.

Contribution

It introduces a manual review process that rescues potential exoplanets from unconfirmed Kepler signals, uncovering new candidates and multi-planet systems.

Findings

Discovered 5 new plausible planet candidates.

Identified a potential second planet in KOI 4302.

Revealed a possible three-planet system in KOI 4246.

Abstract

The prime Kepler mission detected 34,032 transit-like signals, out of which 8,054 were identified as likely due to astrophysical planet transits or eclipsing binaries. We manually examined 306 of the remaining 25,978 detections, and found six plausible transiting or eclipsing objects, five of which are plausible planet candidates (PCs), and one stellar companion. One of our new PCs is a possible new second planet in the KOI 4302 system. Another new PC is a possible new planet around the KOI 4246, and when combined with a different possible planet rescued by the False Positive Working Group, we find that KOI 4246 may be a previously unrecognized three-planet system. \end{abstract}