Search

We report the results of our search for planet candidates in open clusters and young stellar associations based on the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) Objects of Interest Catalog. We find one confirmed planet, one promising candidate, one brown dwarf and three unverified planet candidates in a sample of 1229 open clusters from the second Gaia data release. We discuss individual planet-star systems based on their basic parameters, membership probability and the observation notes from the ExoFOP-TESS website. We also find ten planet candidates (P > 95%) in young stellar associations by using the BANYAN ς Multivariate Bayesian Algorithm. Among the ten candidates, five are known planetary systems. We estimate the rotation periods of the host stars using the TESS light curves and estimate their ages based on gyrochronology. Two candidates with periodic variations are likely to be young planets, but their exact memberships to young stellar associations remain unknown.

Mapping the orbital obliquity distribution of young planets is one avenue toward understanding mechanisms that sculpt the architectures of planetary systems. TOI-942 is a young field star, with an age of ∼60 Myr, hosting a planetary system consisting of two transiting Neptune-sized planets in 4.3 and 10.1 day period orbits. We observed the spectroscopic transits of the inner Neptune TOI-942b to determine its projected orbital obliquity angle. Through two partial transits, we find the planet to be in a prograde orbit, with a projected obliquity angle of |λ| = 1-33+41 deg. In addition, incorporating the light curve and the stellar rotation period, we find the true 3D obliquity to be 2-23+27 deg. We explored various sources of uncertainties specific to the spectroscopic transits of planets around young active stars, and showed that our reported obliquity uncertainty fully encompassed these effects. TOI-942b is one of the youngest planets to have its obliquity characterized, and one of even fewer residing in a multi-planet system. The prograde orbital geometry of TOI-942b is in line with systems of similar ages, none of which have yet been identified to be in strongly misaligned orbits.

Du, Z.H., Wang, S.X., Li, H.H. (2013): A review of the genus Promalactis Meyrick, 1908 (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae) from Taiwan, China. Journal of Natural History 48 (1-2): 87-108, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2013.791940, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2013.791940

Yuan, G.X., Wang, S.X. (2009): Checklist of the genus Epichostis Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Xyloryctidae) of the world, with descriptions of 11 new species from China. Journal of Natural History 43 (35-36): 2141-2165, DOI: 10.1080/00222930903034957, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222930903034957