UCAC4 195-006534 , the SIMBAD biblio

2019A&A...625L..13Z - Astronomy and Astrophysics, volume 625, L13-13 (2019/5-1)

Transiting exocomets detected in broadband light by TESS in the β Pictoris system.

ZIEBA S., ZWINTZ K., KENWORTHY M.A. and KENNEDY G.M.

Abstract (from CDS):


Aims. We search for signs of falling evaporating bodies (FEBs, also known as exocomets) in photometric time series obtained for β Pictoris after fitting and removing its δ Scuti-type pulsation frequencies.
Methods. Using photometric data obtained by the TESS satellite we determined the pulsational properties of the exoplanet host star β Pictoris through frequency analysis. We then pre-whitened the 54 identified δ Scuti p-modes and investigated the residual photometric time series for the presence of FEBs.
Results. We identify three distinct dipping events in the light curve of β Pictoris over a 105-day period. These dips have depths from 0.5 to 2 millimagnitudes and durations of up to 2 days for the largest dip. These dips are asymmetric in nature and are consistent with a model of an evaporating comet with an extended tail crossing the disc of the star
Conclusions. We present the first broadband detections of exocomets crossing the disc of β Pictoris, complementing the predictions made 20 years earlier by Lecavelier Des Etangs et al. (1999A&A...343..916L). No periodic transits are seen in this time series. These observations confirm the spectroscopic detection of exocomets in calcium H and K lines that have been seen in high resolution spectroscopy.

Abstract Copyright: © ESO 2019

Journal keyword(s): comets: general - planetary systems - stars: individual: beta Pictoris - techniques: photometric - circumstellar matter

VizieR on-line data: <Available at CDS (J/A+A/625/L13): tessbpic.dat

Simbad objects: 10

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