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Exoplanets are planets that exist outside our solar system and orbit a host star. The first confirmed detection of an exoplanet was in 1995, and since then over 5000 have been confirmed. A common way to detect exoplanets is via the transiting method which works by waiting for the hypothetical exoplanet to pass in front of the star, causing a dip in the star’s flux. Looking at the curve created by plotting the star’s flux as a function of time, we can tell whether or not the transit was caused by an exoplanet. For an exoplanet we look for a u-shaped curve, otherwise the curve may be a false positive...
Astrometry is a vital method for discovering non-transiting exoplanets; however, current techniques make it exceedingly hard to use due to the required submilliarcsecond precision. This research project focuses on enhancing astrometric techniques to discover non-transiting exoplanets using data from the European Space Agency's Gaia mission. Astrometry measures the subtle 'wobble' in a star's position caused by an orbiting exoplanet, which can reveal Earth-like planets in high-inclination orbits that other methods like Radial Velocity may miss...
In our project, we utilized data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in an attempt to discover an exoplanet. Designed to observe variations in light coming from thousands of objects in our galaxy, TESS provided us with potential planet candidates through a series of data reports. Using these reports, we compiled a list of candidates which fit a set criteria, and with the Leuschner Observatory, we observed said candidates. Through this, we attempted to confirm the existence of our monitored exoplanet...
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