Bibcode
Jenkins, James S.; Harrington, Joseph; Challener, Ryan C.; Kurtovic, Nicolás T.; Ramirez, Ricardo; Peña, Jose; McIntyre, Kathleen J.; Himes, Michael D.; Rodríguez, Eloy; Anglada-Escudé, Guillem; Dreizler, Stefan; Ofir, Aviv; Peña Rojas, Pablo A.; Ribas, Ignasi; Rojo, Patricio; Kipping, David; Butler, R. Paul; Amado, Pedro J.; Rodríguez-López, Cristina; Kempton, Eliza M.-R.; Palle, E.; Murgas, F.
Referencia bibliográfica
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 487, Issue 1, p.268-274
Fecha de publicación:
7
2019
Número de citas
22
Número de citas referidas
19
Descripción
We report Spitzer Space Telescope observations during predicted transits
of the exoplanet Proxima Centauri b. As the nearest terrestrial
habitable-zone planet we will ever discover, any potential transit of
Proxima b would place strong constraints on its radius, bulk density,
and atmosphere. Subsequent transmission spectroscopy and
secondary-eclipse measurements could then probe the atmospheric
chemistry, physical processes, and orbit, including a search for
biosignatures. However, our photometric results rule out planetary
transits at the 200 ppm level at 4.5 μm, yielding a 3σ upper
radius limit of 0.4 R⊕ (Earth radii). Previous claims
of possible transits from optical ground- and space-based photometry
were likely correlated noise in the data from Proxima Centauri's
frequent flaring. Our study indicates dramatically reduced stellar
activity at near-to-mid infrared wavelengths, compared to the optical.
Proxima b is an ideal target for space-based infrared telescopes, if
their instruments can be configured to handle Proxima's brightness.
Proyectos relacionados
Exoplanetas y Astrobiología
La búsqueda de vida en el Universo se ha visto impulsada por los recientes descubrimientos de planetas alrededor de otras estrellas (los llamados exoplanetas), convirtiéndose en uno de los campos más activos dentro de la Astrofísica moderna. En los últimos años los descubrimientos cada vez más numerosos de nuevos exoplanetas y los últimos avances
Enric
Pallé Bago