Bibcode
Grouffal, S.; Santerne, A.; Bourrier, V.; Kunovac, V.; Dressing, C.; Akinsanmi, B.; Armstrong, C.; Baliwal, S.; Balsalobre-Ruza, O.; Barros, S. C. C.; Bayliss, D.; Crossfield, I. J. M.; Demangeon, O.; Dumusque, X.; Giacalone, S.; Harada, C. K.; Isaacson, H.; Kellermann, H.; Lillo-Box, J.; Llama, J.; Mortier, A.; Palle, E.; Rajpurohit, A. S.; Rice, M.; Santos, N. C.; Seidel, J. V.; Sharma, R.; Sousa, S. G.; Thomas, L.; Turtelboom, E. V.; Udry, S.; Wheatley, P. J.
Bibliographical reference
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Advertised on:
9
2025
Journal
Citations
0
Refereed citations
0
Description
The obliquity between the stellar spin axis and the planetary orbit, detected via the Rossiter-McLaughlin (RM) effect, is a tracer of the formation history of planetary systems. While obliquity measurements have been extensively applied to hot Jupiters and short-period planets, they remain rare for cold and long-period planets due to observational challenges, particularly their long transit durations. We report the detection of the RM effect for the 19-hour transit of HIP 41378 f, a temperate giant planet on a 542-day orbit, observed through a worldwide spectroscopic campaign. We measured a slight projected obliquity of 21 ± 8° and a significant 3D spin-orbit angle of 52 ± 6°, based on the measurement of the stellar rotation period. HIP 41378 f is part a transiting system of five planets with planets close to mean motion resonances. The observed misalignment likely reflects a primordial tilt of the stellar spin axis relative to the protoplanetary disk, rather than dynamical interactions. HIP 41378 f is the first non-eccentric long-period planet (P>100 days) observed with the RM effect, opening new constraints on planetary formation theories. This observation should motivate the exploration of planetary obliquities across a longer range of orbital distances through international collaboration.
Related projects
Exoplanets and Astrobiology
The search for life in the universe has been driven by recent discoveries of planets around other stars (known as exoplanets), becoming one of the most active fields in modern astrophysics. The growing number of new exoplanets discovered in recent years and the recent advance on the study of their atmospheres are not only providing new valuable
Enric
Pallé Bago