13 New Light Curves and Updated Mid-Transit Time and Period for Hot Jupiter WASP-104 b with EXOTIC

TL;DR

This study used small ground-based telescopes and citizen science data to accurately update the orbital parameters of exoplanet WASP-104 b, demonstrating the value of amateur contributions in exoplanet research.

Contribution

The paper presents a method for amateur astronomers to effectively contribute to exoplanet ephemeris updates using small telescopes and open-source software.

Findings

13 new light curves of sufficient accuracy were obtained.

Updated mid-transit time: 2457805.170208 +/- 0.000036 BJD_TBD.

Updated orbital period: 1.75540644 +/- 0.00000016 days.

Abstract

Using the EXOplanet Transit Interpretation Code (EXOTIC), we reduced 52 sets of images of WASP-104 b, a Hot Jupiter-class exoplanet orbiting WASP-104, in order to obtain an updated mid-transit time (ephemeris) and orbital period for the planet. We performed this reduction on images taken with a 6-inch telescope of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian MicroObservatory. Of the reduced light curves, 13 were of sufficient accuracy to be used in updating the ephemerides for WASP-104 b, meeting or exceeding the three-sigma standard for determining a significant detection. Our final mid-transit value was 2457805.170208 +/- 0.000036 BJD_TBD and the final period value was 1.75540644 +/- 0.00000016 days. The true significance of our results is in their derivation from image sets gathered over time by a small, ground-based telescope as part of the Exoplanet Watch citizen science initiative, and their competitive results to an ephemeris generated from data gathered by the TESS telescope. We use these results to further show how such techniques can be employed by amateur astronomers and citizen scientists to maximize the efficacy of larger telescopes by reducing the use of expensive observation time. The work done in the paper was accomplished as part of the first fully online Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) for astronomy majors in the only online Bachelor of Science program in Astronomical and Planetary Sciences.