The Solar Neighborhood LI: A Variability Survey of Nearby M Dwarfs with Planets from Months to Decades with TESS and the CTIO/SMARTS 0.9 m Telescope
We present the optical photometric variability of 32 planet-hosting M dwarfs within 25 pc over timescales of months to decades. The primary goal of this project—A Trail to Life Around Stars (ATLAS)—is to follow the trail to life by revealing nearby M dwarfs with planets that are also “quiet,” which...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | The Astronomical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad2ddc |
| _version_ | 1797221261763411968 |
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| author | Aman Kar Todd J. Henry Andrew A. Couperus Eliot Halley Vrijmoet Wei-Chun Jao |
| author_facet | Aman Kar Todd J. Henry Andrew A. Couperus Eliot Halley Vrijmoet Wei-Chun Jao |
| author_sort | Aman Kar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We present the optical photometric variability of 32 planet-hosting M dwarfs within 25 pc over timescales of months to decades. The primary goal of this project—A Trail to Life Around Stars (ATLAS)—is to follow the trail to life by revealing nearby M dwarfs with planets that are also “quiet,” which may make them more amiable to habitability. There are 69 reported exoplanets orbiting the 32 stars discussed here, providing a rich sample of worlds for which environmental evaluations are needed. We examine the optical flux environments of these planets over month-long timescales for 23 stars observed by TESS, and find that 17 vary by less than 1% (∼11 mmag). All 32 stars are being observed at the CTIO/SMARTS 0.9 m telescope, with a median duration of 19.1 yr of optical photometric data in the VRI bands. We find over these extended timescales that six stars show optical flux variations less than 2%, 25 vary from 2% to 6% (∼22–67 mmag), and only one, Proxima Centauri, varies by more than 6%. Overall, LHS 1678 exhibits the lowest optical variability levels measured over all timescales examined, thereby providing one of the most stable photometric environments among the planets reported around M dwarfs within 25 pc. More than 600 of the nearest M dwarfs are being observed at the 0.9 m telescope in the RECONS program that began in 1999, and many more planet hosts will undoubtedly be revealed, providing more destinations to be added to the ATLAS sample in the future. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T13:02:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-23fd0215aac849fbb8832068a9c92b38 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1538-3881 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T13:02:38Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astronomical Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-23fd0215aac849fbb8832068a9c92b382024-04-05T09:27:24ZengIOP PublishingThe Astronomical Journal1538-38812024-01-01167519610.3847/1538-3881/ad2ddcThe Solar Neighborhood LI: A Variability Survey of Nearby M Dwarfs with Planets from Months to Decades with TESS and the CTIO/SMARTS 0.9 m TelescopeAman Kar0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9811-5521Todd J. Henry1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9061-2865Andrew A. Couperus2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9834-5792Eliot Halley Vrijmoet3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1864-6120Wei-Chun Jao4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0193-2187Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University , Atlanta, GA 30303, USA; RECONS Institute , Chambersburg, PA 17201, USARECONS Institute , Chambersburg, PA 17201, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University , Atlanta, GA 30303, USA; RECONS Institute , Chambersburg, PA 17201, USARECONS Institute , Chambersburg, PA 17201, USA; Five College Astronomy Department, Smith College , Northampton, MA 01063, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University , Atlanta, GA 30303, USAWe present the optical photometric variability of 32 planet-hosting M dwarfs within 25 pc over timescales of months to decades. The primary goal of this project—A Trail to Life Around Stars (ATLAS)—is to follow the trail to life by revealing nearby M dwarfs with planets that are also “quiet,” which may make them more amiable to habitability. There are 69 reported exoplanets orbiting the 32 stars discussed here, providing a rich sample of worlds for which environmental evaluations are needed. We examine the optical flux environments of these planets over month-long timescales for 23 stars observed by TESS, and find that 17 vary by less than 1% (∼11 mmag). All 32 stars are being observed at the CTIO/SMARTS 0.9 m telescope, with a median duration of 19.1 yr of optical photometric data in the VRI bands. We find over these extended timescales that six stars show optical flux variations less than 2%, 25 vary from 2% to 6% (∼22–67 mmag), and only one, Proxima Centauri, varies by more than 6%. Overall, LHS 1678 exhibits the lowest optical variability levels measured over all timescales examined, thereby providing one of the most stable photometric environments among the planets reported around M dwarfs within 25 pc. More than 600 of the nearest M dwarfs are being observed at the 0.9 m telescope in the RECONS program that began in 1999, and many more planet hosts will undoubtedly be revealed, providing more destinations to be added to the ATLAS sample in the future.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad2ddcExoplanet systemsHabitable planetsM dwarf starsPlanet hosting starsSolar neighborhoodSurveys |
| spellingShingle | Aman Kar Todd J. Henry Andrew A. Couperus Eliot Halley Vrijmoet Wei-Chun Jao The Solar Neighborhood LI: A Variability Survey of Nearby M Dwarfs with Planets from Months to Decades with TESS and the CTIO/SMARTS 0.9 m Telescope The Astronomical Journal Exoplanet systems Habitable planets M dwarf stars Planet hosting stars Solar neighborhood Surveys |
| title | The Solar Neighborhood LI: A Variability Survey of Nearby M Dwarfs with Planets from Months to Decades with TESS and the CTIO/SMARTS 0.9 m Telescope |
| title_full | The Solar Neighborhood LI: A Variability Survey of Nearby M Dwarfs with Planets from Months to Decades with TESS and the CTIO/SMARTS 0.9 m Telescope |
| title_fullStr | The Solar Neighborhood LI: A Variability Survey of Nearby M Dwarfs with Planets from Months to Decades with TESS and the CTIO/SMARTS 0.9 m Telescope |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Solar Neighborhood LI: A Variability Survey of Nearby M Dwarfs with Planets from Months to Decades with TESS and the CTIO/SMARTS 0.9 m Telescope |
| title_short | The Solar Neighborhood LI: A Variability Survey of Nearby M Dwarfs with Planets from Months to Decades with TESS and the CTIO/SMARTS 0.9 m Telescope |
| title_sort | solar neighborhood li a variability survey of nearby m dwarfs with planets from months to decades with tess and the ctio smarts 0 9 m telescope |
| topic | Exoplanet systems Habitable planets M dwarf stars Planet hosting stars Solar neighborhood Surveys |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad2ddc |
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