Table of contents

Astrometric observations of the M9 dwarf TVLM 513–46546 taken with the VLBA reveal an astrometric signature consistent with a period of 221 ± 5 days. The orbital fit implies that the companion has a mass m_p = 0.35−0.42 M_J, a circular orbit (e ≃ 0), a semimajor axis a = 0.28−0.31 au, and an inclination angle i = 71°−88°. The detected companion, TVLM 513b, is one of the few giant-mass planets found associated with ultracool dwarfs. The presence of a Saturn-like planet on a circular orbit 0.3 au from a 0.06−0.08 M_⊙ star represents a challenge to planet formation theory. This is the first astrometric detection of a planet at radio wavelengths.

We investigated the dynamical stability of high-multiplicity Kepler and K2 planetary systems. Our numerical simulations find instabilities in ∼20% of the cases on a wide range of timescales (up to 5 × 10⁹ orbits) and over an unexpectedly wide range of initial dynamical spacings. To identify the triggers of long-term instability in multiplanet systems, we investigated in detail the five-planet Kepler-102 system. Despite having several near-resonant period ratios, we find that mean-motion resonances are unlikely to directly cause instability for plausible planet masses in this system. Instead, we find strong evidence that slow inward transfer of angular momentum deficit (AMD) via secular chaos excites the eccentricity of the innermost planet, Kepler-102 b, eventually leading to planet–planet collisions in ∼80% of Kepler-102 simulations. Kepler-102 b likely needs a mass ≳0.1 M_⊕, hence a bulk density exceeding about half Earth's, in order to avoid dynamical instability. To investigate the role of secular chaos in our wider set of simulations, we characterize each planetary system's AMD evolution with a "spectral fraction" calculated from the power spectrum of short integrations (∼5 × 10⁶ orbits). We find that small spectral fractions (≲0.01) are strongly associated with dynamical stability on long timescales (5 × 10⁹ orbits) and that the median time to instability decreases with increasing spectral fraction. Our results support the hypothesis that secular chaos is the driver of instabilities in many nonresonant multiplanet systems and also demonstrate that the spectral analysis method is an efficient numerical tool to diagnose long-term (in)stability of multiplanet systems from short simulations.

We present a new method employing machine-learning techniques for measuring astrophysical features by correcting systematics in IRAC high-precision photometry using random forests. The main systematic in IRAC light-curve data is position changes due to unavoidable telescope motions coupled with an intrapixel response function. We aim to use the large amount of publicly available calibration data for the single pixel used for this type of work (the sweet-spot pixel) to make a fast, easy-to-use, accurate correction to science data. This correction on calibration data has the advantage of using an independent data set instead of the science data themselves, which has the disadvantage of including astrophysical variations. After focusing on feature engineering and hyperparameter optimization, we show that a boosted random forest model can reduce the data such that we measure the median of 10 archival eclipse observations of XO-3b to be 1459 ± 200 ppm. This is a comparable depth to the average of those in the literature done by seven different methods; however, the spread in measurements is 30%–100% larger than those literature values, depending on the reduction method. We also caution others attempting similar methods to check their results with the fiducial data set of XO-3b, as we were also able to find models providing initially great scores on their internal test data sets but whose results significantly underestimated the eclipse depth of that planet.

We observed the 2019 January total lunar eclipse with the Hubble Space Telescope's STIS spectrograph to obtain the first near-UV (1700–3200 Å) observation of Earth as a transiting exoplanet. The observatories and instruments that will be able to perform transmission spectroscopy of exo-Earths are beginning to be planned, and characterizing the transmission spectrum of Earth is vital to ensuring that key spectral features (e.g., ozone, or O₃) are appropriately captured in mission concept studies. O₃ is photochemically produced from O₂, a product of the dominant metabolism on Earth today, and it will be sought in future observations as critical evidence for life on exoplanets. Ground-based observations of lunar eclipses have provided the Earth's transmission spectrum at optical and near-IR wavelengths, but the strongest O₃ signatures are in the near-UV. We describe the observations and methods used to extract a transmission spectrum from Hubble lunar eclipse spectra, and identify spectral features of O₃ and Rayleigh scattering in the 3000–5500 Å region in Earth's transmission spectrum by comparing to Earth models that include refraction effects in the terrestrial atmosphere during a lunar eclipse. Our near-UV spectra are featureless, a consequence of missing the narrow time span during the eclipse when near-UV sunlight is not completely attenuated through Earth's atmosphere due to extremely strong O₃ absorption and when sunlight is transmitted to the lunar surface at altitudes where it passes through the O₃ layer rather than above it.

The nearby super-Earth 55 Cnc e orbits a bright (V = 5.95 mag) star with a period of ∼18 hr and a mass of ∼8M_⊕. Its atmosphere may be water-rich and have a large-scale height; though, attempts to characterize it have yielded ambiguous results. Here we present a sensitive search for water and TiO in its atmosphere at high spectral resolution using the Gemini North telescope and the GRACES spectrograph. We combine observations with previous observations from Subaru and CFHT, improving the constraints on the presence of water vapor. We adopt parametric models with an updated planet radius based on recent measurements, and use a cross-correlation technique to maximize sensitivity. Our results are consistent with atmospheres that are cloudy or contain minimal amounts of water and TiO. Using these parametric models, we rule out a water-rich atmosphere (VMR $\geqslant$ 0.1%) with a mean molecular weight of $\leqslant$ 15 g mol⁻¹ at a 3σ confidence level, improving on the previous limit by a significant margin. For TiO, we rule out a mean molecular weight of $\leqslant$ 5 g mol⁻¹ with a 3σ confidence level for a VMR greater than 10⁻⁸; for a VMR of greater than 10⁻⁷, the limit rises to a mean molecular weight of $\leqslant$ 10 g mol⁻¹. We can rule out low mean-molecular-weight chemical equilibrium models both including and excluding TiO/VO at very high confidence levels (>10σ). Overall, our results are consistent with an atmosphere with a high mean molecular weight and/or clouds, or no atmosphere.

The Hertzsprung–Russell diagram (HRD) is fully examined using the Fourier analysis. This work shows more stars are above the gap in the lower main sequence than below it, and this implies that stars spend more time above the gap while they undergo variability associated with the ³He instability. The enhanced HRD also shows the width of the gap is not linear and depends on the ${G}_{\mathrm{BP}}-{G}_{\mathrm{RP}}$ color up until ${G}_{\mathrm{BP}}-{G}_{\mathrm{RP}}=2.7$. Beyond this color limit, the gap is hardly seen. Besides, a new low density region is revealed for the first time centered at M_G ≈ 10.7 and G_BP − G_RP ≈ 2.8, which is below the lower right corner of the gap. This work also shows that the main sequence appears to have fine stripes where stellar densities are relatively low or high compared to their adjacent regions on the main sequence. These stripes can be seen throughout the main sequence of stars redder than G_BP − G_RP = 0.8 and are not limited to any specific color or spectral type. Slopes of these features are different from the main sequence, but are pretty consistent throughout the main sequence, with a few exceptions. We are perplexed by these new features, but the complexities of stellar atmospheric features and opacities of dwarfs may have caused these patterns.

Clusters of galaxies are outstanding laboratories for understanding the physics of supermassive black hole (SMBH) feedback. Here we present the first Chandra, Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, and Hubble Space Telescope analysis of MACS J1447.4+0827 (z = 0.3755), one of the strongest cool core clusters known, in which extreme feedback from its central SMBH is needed to prevent the hot intracluster gas from cooling. Using this multiwavelength approach, including 70 ks of Chandra X-ray observations, we detect the presence of collimated jetted outflows that coincide with a southern and a northern X-ray cavity. The total mechanical power associated with these outflows (P_cav ≈ 6 × 10⁴⁴ erg s⁻¹) is roughly consistent with the energy required to prevent catastrophic cooling of the hot intracluster gas (L_cool = 1.71 ± 0.01 × 10⁴⁵ erg s⁻¹ for t_cool = 7.7 Gyr), implying that powerful SMBH feedback was in place several Gyr ago in MACS J1447.7+0827. In addition, we detect the presence of a radio minihalo that extends over 300 kpc in diameter (P_1.4GHz = 3.0 ± 0.3 × 10²⁴ W Hz⁻¹). The X-ray observations also reveal an ∼20 kpc plumelike structure that coincides with optical dusty filaments that surround the central galaxy. Overall, this study demonstrates that the various physical phenomena occurring in the most nearby clusters of galaxies are also occurring in their more distant analogs.

High-resolution spectroscopic observations of the W UMa-type binary CrA obtained as a time-monitoring sequence on four full and four partial nights within two weeks have been used to derive orbital elements of the system and discuss the validity of the Lucy model for description of the radial-velocity data. The observations had more extensive temporal coverage and better quality than similar time-sequence observations of the contact binary AW UMa. The two binaries share several physical properties and show very similar deviations from the Lucy model: the primary component is a rapidly rotating star almost unaffected by the presence of the secondary component, while the latter is embedded in a complex gas flow and appears to have its own rotation-velocity field, in contradiction to the model. The spectroscopic mass ratio is found to be larger than the one derived from the light-curve analysis, as in many other W UMa-type binaries, but the discrepancy for CrA is relatively minor, much smaller than for AW UMa. The presence of the complex velocity flows contradicting the assumption of solid-body rotation suggests a necessity of modification to the Lucy model, possibly along the lines outlined by Stȩpień in his concept of energy transfer between the binary components.

An overabundance of single-transiting Kepler planets suggests the existence of a subpopulation of intrinsically multiplanet systems possessing large mutual inclinations. However, the origin of these mutual inclinations remains unknown. Recent work has demonstrated that mutual inclinations can be excited soon after protoplanetary disk dispersal owing to the oblateness of the rapidly rotating host star, provided that the star is tilted. Alternatively, distant giant planets, which are common in systems of close-in Kepler planets, could drive up mutual inclinations. The relative importance of each of these mechanisms has not been investigated. Here, we show that the influence of the stellar oblateness typically exceeds that of an exterior giant soon after planet formation. However, the magnitude of the resulting mutual inclinations depends critically on the timescale over which the natal disk disperses. Specifically, we find that if the disk vanishes over a timescale shorter than ∼10^3–4 yr, comparable to the viscous timescale of the inner ∼0.2 au, the inner planets impulsively acquire misalignments that scale with the stellar obliquity. In contrast, if the disk disperses slowly, the inner planets remain coplanar. They first align with the stellar equator but subsequently realign with the distant giant's plane as the star spins down. Our findings are consistent with recent observations that giants tend to be aligned with close-in multiplanet systems but misaligned with single-transiting planets. Stellar obliquity measurements offer a promising test of our proposed framework.

A number of giant-planet pairs with period ratios ≲2 discovered by the radial velocity (RV) method may reside in mean motion resonances. Convergent orbital migration and resonant capture at the time of formation would naturally explain the present-day resonant orbital configurations of these systems. Planets that experience smooth migration and eccentricity-damping forces due to a protoplanetary disk should not only be captured into mean motion resonances but also end up in a specific dynamical configuration within the resonance, sometimes referred to as apsidal corotation resonance (ACR). Here we develop a method for testing the hypothesis that a planet pair resides in an ACR by directly fitting RV data. The ACR hypothesis strongly restricts the number of free parameters describing the RV signal, and we compare fits using this highly restricted model to fits using a more conventional two-planet RV model by using nested sampling simulations. We apply our method to HD 45364 and HD 33844, two systems hosting giant-planet pairs in 3:2 and 5:3 resonances, respectively. The observations of both systems are consistent with ACR configurations, which are formally preferred based on the Bayes factors computed from nested sampling simulations. We use the results of our ACR model fits to constrain the possible migration histories of these systems.

Multi-planet systems produce a wealth of information for exoplanet science, but our understanding of planetary architectures is incomplete. Probing these systems further will provide insight into orbital architectures and formation pathways. Here we present a model to predict previously undetected planets in these systems via population statistics. The model considers both transiting and non-transiting planets, and can test the addition of more than one planet. Our tests show the model's orbital period predictions are robust to perturbations in system architectures on the order of a few percent, much larger than current uncertainties. Applying it to the multi-planet systems from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) provides a prioritized list of targets, based on predicted transit depth and probability, for archival searches and for guiding ground-based follow-up observations hunting for hidden planets.

Studies of exoplanet demographics require large samples and precise constraints on exoplanet host stars. Using the homogeneous Kepler stellar properties derived using the Gaia Data Release 2 by Berger et al., we recompute Kepler planet radii and incident fluxes and investigate their distributions with stellar mass and age. We measure the stellar mass dependence of the planet radius valley to be $d\mathrm{log}{R}_{{\rm{p}}}$/$d\mathrm{log}{M}_{\star }$ = ${0.26}_{-0.16}^{+0.21}$, consistent with the slope predicted by a planet mass dependence on stellar mass (0.24–0.35) and core-powered mass loss (0.33). We also find the first evidence of a stellar age dependence of the planet populations straddling the radius valley. Specifically, we determine that the fraction of super-Earths (1–1.8 ${R}_{\oplus }$) to sub-Neptunes (1.8–3.5 ${R}_{\oplus }$) increases from 0.61 ± 0.09 at young ages (<1 Gyr) to 1.00 ± 0.10 at old ages (>1 Gyr), consistent with the prediction by core-powered mass loss that the mechanism shaping the radius valley operates over Gyr timescales. Additionally, we find a tentative decrease in the radii of relatively cool (F_p < 150 ${F}_{\oplus }$) sub-Neptunes over Gyr timescales, which suggests that these planets may possess H/He envelopes instead of higher mean molecular weight atmospheres. We confirm the existence of planets within the hot sub-Neptunian "desert" (2.2 R_⊕ < R_p < 3.8 ${R}_{\oplus }$, F_p > 650 ${F}_{\oplus }$) and show that these planets are preferentially orbiting more evolved stars compared to other planets at similar incident fluxes. In addition, we identify candidates for cool (F_p < 20 ${F}_{\oplus }$) inflated Jupiters, present a revised list of habitable zone candidates, and find that the ages of single and multiple transiting planet systems are statistically indistinguishable.

This paper presents the atmospheric characterization of three large, gaseous planets: WASP-127 b, WASP-79 b, and WASP-62 b. We analyzed spectroscopic data obtained with the G141 grism (1.088–1.68 μm) of the Wide Field Camera 3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope using the Iraclis pipeline and the TauREx3 retrieval code, both of which are publicly available. For WASP-127 b, which is the least dense planet discovered so far and is located in the short-period Neptune desert, our retrieval results found strong water absorption corresponding to an abundance of log(H₂O) = −2.71${}_{-1.05}^{+0.78}$ and absorption compatible with an iron hydride abundance of log(FeH) = $-{5.25}_{-1.10}^{+0.88}$, with an extended cloudy atmosphere. We also detected water vapor in the atmospheres of WASP-79 b and WASP-62 b, with best-fit models indicating the presence of iron hydride, too. We used the Atmospheric Detectability Index as well as Bayesian log evidence to quantify the strength of the detection and compared our results to the hot Jupiter population study by Tsiaras et al. While all the planets studied here are suitable targets for characterization with upcoming facilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope and Ariel, WASP-127 b is of particular interest due to its low density, and a thorough atmospheric study would develop our understanding of planet formation and migration.

We infer the crater chronologies of Ceres and Vesta from a self-consistent dynamical model of asteroid impactors. The model accounts for planetary migration/instability early in the history of our solar system and tracks asteroid orbits over 4.56 Gyr. It is calibrated on the current population of the asteroid belt. The model provides the number of asteroid impacts on different worlds at any time throughout the solar system's history. We combine the results with an impactor-crater scaling relationship to determine the crater distribution of Ceres and Vesta and compare these theoretical predictions with observations. We find that: (i) The Ceres and Vesta chronologies are similar, whereas they significantly differ from the lunar chronology. Therefore, using the lunar chronology for main belt asteroids, as often done in previous publications, is incorrect. (ii) The model results match the number and size distribution of large (diameter >90 km) craters observed on Vesta, but overestimate the number of large craters on Ceres. This implies that large crater erasure is required for Ceres. (iii) In a model where planetary migration/instability happens early, the probability to form the Rheasilvia basin on Vesta during the last 1 Gyr is 10%, a factor of ∼1.5 higher than for the late instability case and ∼2.5 times higher than found in previous studies. Thus, while the formation of the Rheasilvia at ∼1 Gyr ago (Ga) would be somewhat unusual, it cannot be ruled out at more than ≃1.5σ. In broader context, our work provides a self-consistent framework for modeling asteroid crater records.

We present the discoveries of KELT-25 b (TIC 65412605, TOI-626.01) and KELT-26 b (TIC 160708862, TOI-1337.01), two transiting companions orbiting relatively bright, early A stars. The transit signals were initially detected by the KELT survey and subsequently confirmed by Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) photometry. KELT-25 b is on a 4.40 day orbit around the V = 9.66 star CD-24 5016 (${T}_{\mathrm{eff}}={8280}_{-180}^{+440}$ K, M_⋆ = ${2.18}_{-0.11}^{+0.12}$M_⊙), while KELT-26 b is on a 3.34 day orbit around the V = 9.95 star HD 134004 (${T}_{\mathrm{eff}}$ = ${8640}_{-240}^{+500}$ K, M_⋆ = ${1.93}_{-0.16}^{+0.14}$M_⊙), which is likely an Am star. We have confirmed the substellar nature of both companions through detailed characterization of each system using ground-based and TESS photometry, radial velocity measurements, Doppler tomography, and high-resolution imaging. For KELT-25, we determine a companion radius of R_P = ${1.64}_{-0.043}^{+0.039}$R_J and a 3σ upper limit on the companion's mass of ∼64 M_J. For KELT-26 b, we infer a planetary mass and radius of M_P = ${1.41}_{-0.51}^{+0.43}$${M}_{{\rm{J}}}$ and R_P = ${1.94}_{-0.058}^{+0.060}$R_J. From Doppler tomographic observations, we find KELT-26 b to reside in a highly misaligned orbit. This conclusion is weakly corroborated by a subtle asymmetry in the transit light curve from the TESS data. KELT-25 b appears to be in a well-aligned, prograde orbit, and the system is likely a member of the cluster Theia 449.

We present the analysis of the hot-Jupiter KELT-7 b using transmission and emission spectroscopy from the Hubble Space Telescope, both taken with the Wide Field Camera 3. Our study uncovers a rich transmission spectrum that is consistent with a cloud-free atmosphere and suggests the presence of H₂O and H⁻. In contrast, the extracted emission spectrum does not contain strong absorption features and, although it is not consistent with a simple blackbody, it can be explained by a varying temperature–pressure profile, collision induced absorption, and H⁻. KELT-7 b had also been studied with other space-based instruments and we explore the effects of introducing these additional data sets. Further observations with Hubble, or the next generation of space-based telescopes, are needed to allow for the optical opacity source in transmission to be confirmed and for molecular features to be disentangled in emission.

We present the discovery of three sub-Neptune-sized planets transiting the nearby and bright Sun-like star HD 191939 (TIC 269701147, TOI 1339), a K_s = 7.18 mag G8 V dwarf at a distance of only 54 pc. We validate the planetary nature of the transit signals by combining 5 months of data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite with follow-up ground-based photometry, archival optical images, radial velocities, and high angular resolution observations. The three sub-Neptunes have similar radii (${R}_{{\rm{b}}}={3.42}_{-0.11}^{+0.11}$, ${R}_{{\rm{c}}}={3.23}_{-0.11}^{+0.11}$, and ${R}_{{\rm{d}}}={3.16}_{-0.11}^{+0.11}\,{R}_{\oplus }$), and their orbits are consistent with a stable, circular, and coplanar architecture near mean-motion resonances of 1:3 and 3:4 (P_b = 8.88, P_c = 28.58, and P_d = 38.35 days). The HD 191939 system is an excellent candidate for precise mass determinations of the planets with high-resolution spectroscopy due to the host star's brightness and low chromospheric activity. Moreover, the system's compact and near-resonant nature can provide an independent way to measure planetary masses via transit timing variations while also enabling dynamical and evolutionary studies. Finally, as a promising target for multiwavelength transmission spectroscopy of all three planets' atmospheres, HD 191939 can offer valuable insight into multiple sub-Neptunes born from a protoplanetary disk that may have resembled that of the early Sun.

We report the discovery of a warm Neptune and a hot sub-Neptune transiting TOI-421 (BD-14 1137, TIC 94986319), a bright (V = 9.9) G9 dwarf star in a visual binary system observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) space mission in Sectors 5 and 6. We performed ground-based follow-up observations—comprised of Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope transit photometry, NIRC2 adaptive optics imaging, and FIbre-fed Echellé Spectrograph, CORALIE, High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher, High Resolution Échelle Spectrometer, and Planet Finder Spectrograph high-precision Doppler measurements—and confirmed the planetary nature of the 16 day transiting candidate announced by the TESS team. We discovered an additional radial velocity signal with a period of five days induced by the presence of a second planet in the system, which we also found to transit its host star. We found that the inner mini-Neptune, TOI-421 b, has an orbital period of P_b = 5.19672 ± 0.00049 days, a mass of M_b = 7.17 ± 0.66 M_⊕, and a radius of R_b = ${2.68}_{-0.18}^{+0.19}$ R_⊕, whereas the outer warm Neptune, TOI-421 c, has a period of P_c = 16.06819 ± 0.00035 days, a mass of M_c = ${16.42}_{-1.04}^{+1.06}$ M_⊕, a radius of R_c = ${5.09}_{-0.15}^{+0.16}$ R_⊕, and a density of ρ_c = ${0.685}_{-0.072}^{+0.080}$ g cm⁻³. With its characteristics, the outer planet (ρ_c = ${0.685}_{-0.072}^{+0.080}$ g cm⁻³) is placed in the intriguing class of the super-puffy mini-Neptunes. TOI-421 b and TOI-421 c are found to be well-suited for atmospheric characterization. Our atmospheric simulations predict significant Lyα transit absorption, due to strong hydrogen escape in both planets, as well as the presence of detectable CH₄ in the atmosphere of TOI-421 c if equilibrium chemistry is assumed.

We present results of a high angular resolution survey of massive OB stars in the Cygnus OB2 association that we conducted with the Near-Infrared Imager camera and ALTAIR adaptive optics system of the Gemini North telescope. We observed 74 O- and early-B-type stars in Cyg OB2 in the JHK infrared bands in order to detect binary and multiple companions. The observations are sensitive to equal-brightness pairs at separations as small as $0\buildrel{\prime\prime}\over{.} 08$, and progressively fainter companions are detectable out to $\bigtriangleup K=9$ mag at a separation of 2''. This faint contrast limit due to read noise continues out to 10'' near the edge of the detector. We assigned a simple probability of chance alignment to each companion based upon its separation and magnitude difference from the central target star and upon areal star counts for the general star field of Cyg OB2. Companion stars with a field membership probability of less than 1% are assumed to be physical companions. This assessment indicates that 47% of the targets have at least one resolved companion that is probably gravitationally bound. Including known spectroscopic binaries, our sample includes 27 binary, 12 triple, and 9 systems with 4 or more components. These results confirm studies of high-mass stars in other environments that find that massive stars are born with a high-multiplicity fraction. The results are important for the placement of the stars in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, the interpretation of their spectroscopic analyses, and for future mass determinations through measurement of orbital motion.

We present the discovery and validation of a three-planet system orbiting the nearby (31.1 pc) M2 dwarf star TOI-700 (TIC 150428135). TOI-700 lies in the TESS continuous viewing zone in the Southern Ecliptic Hemisphere; observations spanning 11 sectors reveal three planets with radii ranging from 1 R_⊕ to 2.6 R_⊕ and orbital periods ranging from 9.98 to 37.43 days. Ground-based follow-up combined with diagnostic vetting and validation tests enables us to rule out common astrophysical false-positive scenarios and validate the system of planets. The outermost planet, TOI-700 d, has a radius of 1.19 ± 0.11 R_⊕ and resides within a conservative estimate of the host star's habitable zone, where it receives a flux from its star that is approximately 86% of Earth's insolation. In contrast to some other low-mass stars that host Earth-sized planets in their habitable zones, TOI-700 exhibits low levels of stellar activity, presenting a valuable opportunity to study potentially rocky planets over a wide range of conditions affecting atmospheric escape. While atmospheric characterization of TOI-700 d with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be challenging, the larger sub-Neptune, TOI-700 c (R = 2.63 R_⊕), will be an excellent target for JWST and future space-based observatories. TESS is scheduled to once again observe the Southern Hemisphere, and it will monitor TOI-700 for an additional 11 sectors in its extended mission. These observations should allow further constraints on the known planet parameters and searches for additional planets and transit timing variations in the system.

We present Spitzer 4.5 μm observations of the transit of TOI-700 d, a habitable-zone Earth-sized planet in a multiplanet system transiting a nearby M-dwarf star (TIC 150428135, 2MASS J06282325–6534456). TOI-700 d has a radius of ${1.144}_{-0.061}^{+0.062}{R}_{\oplus }$ and orbits within its host star's conservative habitable zone with a period of 37.42 days (T_eq ∼ 269 K). TOI-700 also hosts two small inner planets (R_b = ${1.037}_{-0.064}^{+0.065}{R}_{\oplus }$ and R_c = ${2.65}_{-0.15}^{+0.16}{R}_{\oplus }$) with periods of 9.98 and 16.05 days, respectively. Our Spitzer observations confirm the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) detection of TOI-700 d and remove any remaining doubt that it is a genuine planet. We analyze the Spitzer light curve combined with the 11 sectors of TESS observations and a transit of TOI-700 c from the LCOGT network to determine the full system parameters. Although studying the atmosphere of TOI-700 d is not likely feasible with upcoming facilities, it may be possible to measure the mass of TOI-700 d using state-of-the-art radial velocity (RV) instruments (expected RV semiamplitude of ∼70 cm s⁻¹).

We present self-consistent three-dimensional climate simulations of possible habitable states for the newly discovered habitable-zone Earth-sized planet TOI-700 d. We explore a variety of atmospheric compositions, pressures, and rotation states for both ocean-covered and completely desiccated planets in order to assess the planet's potential for habitability. For all 20 of our simulated cases, we use our climate model outputs to synthesize transmission spectra, combined-light spectra, and integrated broadband phase curves. These climatologically informed observables will help the community assess the technological capabilities necessary for future characterization of this planet—as well as similar transiting planets discovered in the future—and will provide a guide for distinguishing possible climate states if one day we do obtain sensitive spectral observations of a habitable planet around an M star. We find that TOI-700 d is a strong candidate for a habitable world and can potentially maintain temperate surface conditions under a wide variety of atmospheric compositions. Unfortunately, the spectral feature depths from the resulting transmission spectra and the peak flux and variations from our synthesized phase curves for TOI-700 d do not exceed 10 ppm. This will likely prohibit the James Webb Space Telescope from characterizing its atmosphere; however, this motivates the community to invest in future instrumentation that perhaps can one day reveal the true nature of TOI-700 d and to continue to search for similar planets around less distant stars.

We present a comprehensive analysis (photometric and kinematical) of the poorly studied open cluster NGC 4337 using 2MASS, WISE, APASS, and Gaia DR2 databases. By determining the membership probabilities of stars, we identified the 624 most probable members with membership probability higher than 50% by using proper motion and parallax data taken from Gaia DR2. The mean proper motion of the cluster is obtained as ${\mu }_{x}=-8.83\pm 0.01$ and μ_y = 1.49 ± 0.006 mas yr⁻¹. We find the normal interstellar extinction toward the cluster region. The radial distribution of members provides a cluster radius of 775 (5.63 pc). The estimated age of 1600 ± 180 Myr indicates that NGC 4337 is an old open cluster with a bunch of red giant stars. The overall mass function slope for main-sequence stars is found as $1.46\pm 0.18$ within the mass range 0.75−2.0 ${M}_{\odot }$, which is in fair agreement with Salpeter's value (x = 1.35) within uncertainty. The present study demonstrates that NGC 4337 is a dynamically relaxed open cluster. Using the Galactic potential model, Galactic orbits are obtained for NGC 4337. We found that this object follows a circular path around the Galactic center. Under the kinematical analysis, we compute the apex coordinates (A, D) by using two methods: (i) the classical convergent point method and (ii) the AD-diagram method. The obtained coordinates are (A_conv, D_conv) = (9627 ± 010, 1314 ± 027) and (A_◦, D_◦) = (100282 ± 010, 9577 ± 0323) respectively. We also computed the Velocity Ellipsoid Parameters, matrix elements (μ_ij), direction cosines (l_j, m_j, n_j), and the Galactic longitude of the vertex (l₂).

The spectral analysis and data products in Data Release 16 (DR16; 2019 December) from the high-resolution near-infrared Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE)-2/Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-IV survey are described. Compared to the previous APOGEE data release (DR14; 2017 July), APOGEE DR16 includes about 200,000 new stellar spectra, of which 100,000 are from a new southern APOGEE instrument mounted on the 2.5 m du Pont telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. DR16 includes all data taken up to 2018 August, including data released in previous data releases. All of the data have been re-reduced and re-analyzed using the latest pipelines, resulting in a total of 473,307 spectra of 437,445 stars. Changes to the analysis methods for this release include, but are not limited to, the use of MARCS model atmospheres for calculation of the entire main grid of synthetic spectra used in the analysis, a new method for filling "holes" in the grids due to unconverged model atmospheres, and a new scheme for continuum normalization. Abundances of the neutron-capture element Ce are included for the first time. A new scheme for estimating uncertainties of the derived quantities using stars with multiple observations has been applied, and calibrated values of surface gravities for dwarf stars are now supplied. Compared to DR14, the radial velocities derived for this release more closely match those in the Gaia DR2 database, and a clear improvement in the spectral analysis of the coolest giants can be seen. The reduced spectra as well as the result of the analysis can be downloaded using links provided on the SDSS DR16 web page.

We present the analysis of high-resolution images of MOA-2013-BLG-220, taken with the Keck adaptive optics system six years after the initial observation, identifying the lens as a solar-type star hosting a super-Jupiter-mass planet. The masses of planets and host stars discovered by microlensing are often not determined from light-curve data, while the star–planet mass ratio and projected separation in units of Einstein ring radius are well measured. High-resolution follow-up observations after the lensing event is complete can resolve the source and lens. This allows direct measurements of flux, and the amplitude and direction of proper motion, giving strong constraints on the system parameters. Due to the high relative proper motion, ${{\boldsymbol{\mu }}}_{\mathrm{rel},\mathrm{Geo}}=12.62\pm 0.11$ mas yr⁻¹, the source and lens were resolved in 2019, with a separation of 77.1 ± 0.5 mas. Thus, we constrain the lens flux to ${K}_{\mathrm{Keck},\mathrm{lens}}=17.92\pm 0.02$. By combining constraints from the model and Keck flux, we find the lens mass to be ${M}_{L}=0.88\pm 0.05\ {M}_{\odot }$ at ${D}_{L}=6.72\pm 0.59\,\mathrm{kpc}$. With a mass ratio of $q=(3.00\pm 0.03)\times {10}^{-3}$ the planet's mass is determined to be ${M}_{{\rm{P}}}=2.74\pm 0.17\ {M}_{{\rm{J}}}$ at a separation of ${r}_{\perp }=3.03\pm 0.27\,\mathrm{au}$. The lens mass is much higher than the prediction made by Bayesian analysis that assumes all stars have an equal probability to host a planet of the measured mass ratio, and suggests that planets with mass ratios of a few times 10⁻³ are more common orbiting massive stars. This demonstrates the importance of high-resolution follow-up observations for testing theories like these.

The color–stellar mass-to-light ratio relation (CMLR) is a widely accepted tool for estimating the stellar mass (M_*) of a galaxy. However, an individual CMLR tends to give distinct M_* for a same galaxy when it is applied in different bands. Examining five representative CMLRs from the literature, we find that the difference in M_* predicted in different bands from optical to near-infrared by a CMLR is 0.1 ∼ 0.3 dex. Based on a sample of low surface brightness galaxies that covers a wide range of color and luminosity, we therefore recalibrated each original CMLR in r, i, z, J, H, and K bands to give internally self-consistent M_* for a same galaxy. The g–r is the primary color indicator in the recalibrated relations, which show little dependence on red (r–z) or near-infrared (J–K) colors. Additionally, the external discrepancies in the originally predicted γ_* by the five independent CMLRs have been greatly reduced after recalibration, especially in the near-infrared bands, implying that the near-infrared luminosities are more robust in predicting γ_*. For each CMLR, the recalibrated relations provided in this work could produce internally self-consistent M_* from divergent photometric bands, and are extensions of the recalibrations from the Johnson–Cousin filter system by the pioneering work of McGaugh & Schombert to the filter system of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) will perform a Galactic Exoplanet Survey (RGES) to discover bound exoplanets with semimajor axes greater than 1 au using gravitational microlensing. Roman will even be sensitive to planetary-mass objects that are not gravitationally bound to any host star. Such free-floating planetary-mass objects (FFPs) will be detected as isolated microlensing events with timescales shorter than a few days. A measurement of the abundance and mass function of FFPs is a powerful diagnostic of the formation and evolution of planetary systems, as well as the physics of the formation of isolated objects via direct collapse. We show that Roman will be sensitive to FFP lenses that have masses from that of Mars (0.1 M_⊕) to gas giants (M ≳ 100 M_⊕) as isolated lensing events with timescales from a few hours to several tens of days, respectively. We investigate the impact of the detection criteria on the survey, especially in the presence of finite-source effects for low-mass lenses. The number of detections will depend on the abundance of such FFPs as a function of mass, which is at present poorly constrained. Assuming that FFPs follow the fiducial mass function of cold, bound planets adapted from Cassan et al., we estimate that Roman will detect ∼250 FFPs with masses down to that of Mars (including ∼60 with masses ≤ M_⊕). We also predict that Roman will improve the upper limits on FFP populations by at least an order of magnitude compared to currently existing constraints.

A new derivation of systemic proper motions of Milky Way satellites is presented and applied to 59 confirmed or candidate dwarf galaxy satellites using Gaia Data Release 2. This constitutes all known Milky Way dwarf galaxies (and likely candidates) as of 2020 May, except for the Magellanic Clouds, the Canis Major and Hydra 1 stellar overdensities, and the tidally disrupting Bootes III and Sagittarius dwarf galaxies. We derive systemic proper motions for the first time for Indus 1, DES J0225+0304, Cetus 2, Pictor 2, and Leo T, but note that the latter three rely on photometry that is of poorer quality than that of the rest of the sample. We cannot resolve a signal for Bootes 4, Cetus 3, Indus 2, Pegasus 3, or Virgo 1. Our method is inspired by the maximum likelihood approach of Pace & Li and examines simultaneously the spatial, color–magnitude, and proper motion distribution of sources. Systemic proper motions are derived without the need to identify confirmed radial velocity members, although the proper motions of these stars, where available, are incorporated into the analysis through a prior on the model. The associated uncertainties on the systemic proper motions are on average a factor of ∼1.4 smaller than existing literature values. Analysis of the implied membership distribution of the satellites suggests that we accurately identify member stars with a contamination rate lower than 1 in 20.

We present the serendipitous discovery of a low optical-luminosity nova occurring in a D-type symbiotic binary star system in the Milky Way. We lay out the extensive archival data alongside new follow-up observations related to the stellar object CN Cha in the constellation of Chamaeleon. The object had long period (250 days), high amplitude (3 mag) optical variability in its recent past, preceding an increase in optical brightness by 8 magnitudes and a persistence at this brightness for about 3 yr, followed by a period of 1.4 mag yr⁻¹ dimming. The object's current optical luminosity seems to be dominated by Hα emission, which also exhibits blueshifted absorption (a P-Cygni-like profile). After consideration of a number of theories to explain these myriad observations, we determine that CN Cha is most likely a symbiotic (an evolved-star–white-dwarf binary) system that has undergone a long-duration, low optical brightness, nova, placing it squarely in the class of so-called "slow novae," of which there are only a few known examples. The duration of the optical plateau in CN Cha would make it the shortest timescale plateau of any known slow symbiotic novae.

To fully understand the diverse population of exoplanets, we must study their early lives within open clusters, the birthplace of most stars with masses >0.5M_⊙ (including those currently in the field). Indeed, when we observe planets within clustered environments, we notice highly eccentric and odd systems that suggest the importance of dynamical pathways created by interactions with additional bodies (as in the case of HD 285507b). However, it has proven difficult to investigate these effects, as many current numerical solvers for the multi-scale N-body problem are simplified and limited in scope. To remedy this, we aim to create a physically complete computational solution to explore the role of stellar close encounters and interplanetary interactions in producing the observed exoplanet populations for both open cluster stars and field stars. We present a new code, Tycho, which employs a variety of different computational techniques, including multiple N-body integration methods, close encounter handling, modified Monte Carlo scattering experiments, and a variety of empirically informed initial conditions. We discuss the methodology in detail, and its implementation within the AMUSE software framework. Approximately 1% of our systems are promptly disrupted by star-star encounters contributing to the rogue planets occurrence rate. Additionally, we find that close encounters which that perturb long-period planets lead to 38.3% of solar-system-like planetary systems becoming long-term unstable.

The Clarissa family is a small collisional family composed of primitive C-type asteroids. It is located in a dynamically stable zone of the inner asteroid belt. In this work we determine the formation age of the Clarissa family by modeling planetary perturbations as well as thermal drift of family members due to the Yarkovsky effect. Simulations were carried out using the SWIFT-RMVS4 integrator modified to account for the Yarkovsky and Yarkovsky–O'Keefe–Radzievskii–Paddack (YORP) effects. We ran multiple simulations starting with different ejection velocity fields of fragments, varying proportion of initially retrograde spins, and also tested different Yarkovsky/YORP models. Our goal was to match the observed orbital structure of the Clarissa family which is notably asymmetrical in the proper semimajor axis, a_p. The best fits were obtained with the initial ejection velocities ≲20 m s⁻¹ of diameter D ≃ 2 km fragments, ∼4:1 preference for spin-up by YORP, and assuming that ≃80% of small family members initially had retrograde rotation. The age of the Clarissa family was found to be t_age = 56 ± 6 Myr for the assumed asteroid density ρ = 1.5 g cm⁻³. Small variation of density to smaller or larger value would lead to slightly younger or older age estimates. This is the first case where the Yarkovsky effect chronology has been successfully applied to an asteroid family younger than 100 Myr.

Any population of asteroids, like asteroid families, will disperse in semimajor axis due to the Yarkovsky effect. The amount of drift is modulated by the asteroid spin state evolution, which determines the balance between the diurnal and seasonal Yarkovsky forces. The asteroid's spin state is, in turn, controlled in part by the Yarkovsky–O'Keefe–Radzievskii–Paddack (YORP) effect. The otherwise smooth evolution of an asteroid can be abruptly altered by collisions, which can cause impulsive changes in the spin state and can move the asteroid onto a different YORP track. In addition, collisions may also alter the YORP parameters by changing the superficial features and overall shape of the asteroid. Thus, the coupling between YORP and Yarkovsky is also strongly affected by the impact history of each body. To investigate this coupling, we developed a statistical code modeling the time evolution of semimajor axis under YORP–Yarkovsky coupling. It includes the contributions of NYORP (normal YORP), TYORP (tangential YORP), and collisions whose effects are deterministically calculated and not added in a statistical way. We find that both collisions and TYORP increase the dispersion of a family in semimajor axis by making the spin axis evolution less smooth and regular. We show that the evolution of a family's structure with time is complex and collisions randomize the YORP evolution. In our test families, we do not observe the formation of a "YORP-eye" in the semimajor axis versus diameter distribution, even after a long period of time. If present, the "YORP-eye" might be a relic of an initial ejection velocity pattern of the collisional fragments.

Some of the most scientifically valuable transiting planets are those that were already known from radial velocity (RV) surveys. This is primarily because their orbits are well characterized and they preferentially orbit bright stars that are the targets of RV surveys. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) provides an opportunity to survey most of the known exoplanet systems in a systematic fashion to detect possible transits of their planets. HD 136352 (Nu² Lupi) is a naked-eye (V = 5.78) G-type main-sequence star that was discovered to host three planets with orbital periods of 11.6, 27.6, and 108.1 days via RV monitoring with the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) spectrograph. We present the detection and characterization of transits for the two inner planets of the HD 136352 system, revealing radii of ${1.482}_{-0.056}^{+0.058}$R_⊕ and ${2.608}_{-0.077}^{+0.078}$R_⊕ for planets b and c, respectively. We combine new HARPS observations with RV data from the Keck/High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer and the Anglo-Australian Telescope, along with TESS photometry from Sector 12, to perform a complete analysis of the system parameters. The combined data analysis results in extracted bulk density values of ${\rho }_{b}={7.8}_{-1.1}^{+1.2}$ g cm⁻³ and ${\rho }_{c}={3.50}_{-0.36}^{+0.41}$ g cm⁻³ for planets b and c, respectively, thus placing them on either side of the radius valley. The combination of the multitransiting planet system, the bright host star, and the diversity of planetary interiors and atmospheres means this will likely become a cornerstone system for atmospheric and orbital characterization of small worlds.

Although solar-analog stars have been studied extensively over the past few decades, most of these studies have focused on visible wavelengths, especially those identifying solar-analog stars to be used as calibration tools for observations. As a result, there is a dearth of well-characterized solar analogs for observations in the near-infrared, a wavelength range important for studying solar system objects. We present 184 stars selected based on solar-like spectral type and V−J and V−K colors whose spectra we have observed in the 0.8–4.2 μm range for calibrating our asteroid observations. Each star has been classified into one of three ranks based on spectral resemblance to vetted solar analogs. Of our set of 184 stars, we report 145 as reliable solar-analog stars, 21 as solar analogs usable after spectral corrections with low-order polynomial fitting, and 18 as unsuitable for use as calibration standards owing to spectral shape, variability, or features at low to medium resolution. We conclude that all but five of our candidates are reliable solar analogs in the longer wavelength range from 2.5 to 4.2 μm. The average colors of the stars classified as reliable or usable solar analogs are V−J = 1.148, V−H = 1.418, and V−K = 1.491, with the entire set being distributed fairly uniformly in R.A. across the sky between −27° and +67° in decl.

We investigate directly imaging exoplanets around eclipsing binaries using the eclipse as a natural tool for dimming the binary and thus increasing the planet to star brightness contrast. At eclipse, the binary becomes pointlike, making coronagraphy possible. We select binaries where the planet–star contrast would be boosted by >10× during eclipse, making it possible to detect a planet that is ≳10× fainter or in a star system that is ∼2–3× more massive than otherwise. Our approach will yield insights into planet occurrence rates around binaries versus individual stars. We consider both self-luminous (SL) and reflected light (RL) planets. In the SL case, we select binaries whose age is young enough so that an orbiting SL planet would remain luminous; in U Cep and AC Sct, respectively, our method is sensitive to SL planets of ∼4.5 and ∼9 M_J with current ground- or near-future space-based instruments and ∼1.5 and ∼6 M_J with future ground-based observatories. In the RL case, there are three nearby (≲50 pc) systems—V1412 Aql, RR Cae, and RT Pic—around which a Jupiter-like planet at a planet–star separation of ≳20 mas might be imaged with future ground- and space-based coronagraphs. A Venus-like planet at the same distance might be detectable around RR Cae and RT Pic. A habitable Earth-like planet represents a challenge; while the planet–star contrast at eclipse and planet flux are accessible with a 6–8 m space telescope, the planet–star separation is 1/3–1/4 of the angular separation limit of modern coronagraphy.

As the first interstellar comet, 2I/Borisov provides a unique opportunity to study the surface composition of a comet from another stellar system, particularly whether it has water ice. In order to investigate the nature of 2I/Borisov, we conducted infrared observations close to perihelion. The water ice, if present, is expected to be revealed by absorption features at 1.5 and 2 micron. We therefore used FLAMINGOS-2 mounted on the Gemini south telescope, to carry out deep imaging on 2019 November 30 UT and spectroscopy on 2019 December 7 UT. At first glance, our imaging did not reveal an apparent coma or a cometary tail. This is due to the bright sky background and our short exposure times. Nevertheless we were able to put an upper limit of the size of the nucleus, as well as provide high-precision astrometry that can be used to investigate nongravitational acceleration in the future. Our infrared spectra showed a negative slope, contrary to the results by Yang et al. It is not unheard of for a comet to show a negative slope, and to progressively exhibit a spectrum with decreasing slope. Possible causes of the decreasing slope are an increase in water ice and/or decrease in dust size. Given the fact that our observations were carried out close to perihelion, it is likely that both factors contribute to the decreasing, negative slope of the infrared spectrum.

We report the discovery of TOI 694 b and TIC 220568520 b, two low-mass stellar companions in eccentric orbits around metal-rich Sun-like stars, first detected by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). TOI 694 b has an orbital period of 48.05131 ± 0.00019 days and eccentricity of 0.51946 ± 0.00081, and we derive a mass of 89.0 ± 5.3 ${M}_{\mathrm{Jup}}$ (0.0849 ± 0.0051 ${M}_{\odot }$) and radius of 1.111 ± 0.017 ${R}_{\mathrm{Jup}}$ (0.1142 ± 0.0017 ${R}_{\odot }$). TIC 220568520 b has an orbital period of 18.55769 ± 0.00039 days and eccentricity of 0.0964 ± 0.0032, and we derive a mass of 107.2 ± 5.2 ${M}_{\mathrm{Jup}}$ (0.1023 ± 0.0050 ${M}_{\odot }$) and radius of 1.248 ± 0.018 ${R}_{\mathrm{Jup}}$ (0.1282 ± 0.0019 ${R}_{\odot }$). Both binary companions lie close to and above the hydrogen-burning mass threshold that separates brown dwarfs and the lowest-mass stars, with TOI 694 b being 2σ above the canonical mass threshold of 0.075 ${M}_{\odot }$. The relatively long periods of the systems mean that the magnetic fields of the low-mass companions are not expected to inhibit convection and inflate the radius, which according to one leading theory is common in similar objects residing in short-period tidally synchronized binary systems. Indeed we do not find radius inflation for these two objects when compared to theoretical isochrones. These two new objects add to the short but growing list of low-mass stars with well-measured masses and radii, and highlight the potential of the TESS mission for detecting such rare objects orbiting bright stars.

Long-period comets coming from the Oort cloud are thought to be planetesimals formed in the planetary region on the ecliptic plane. We have investigated the orbital evolution of these bodies due to the Galactic tide. We extended our previous work and derived analytical solutions to the Galactic longitude and latitude of the direction of aphelion, L and B. Using the analytical solutions, we show that the ratio of the periods of evolution of L and B is very close to either 2 or $\infty$ for initial eccentricities e_i ≃ 1, as is true for the Oort cloud comets. From the relation between L and B, we predict that Oort cloud comets returning to the planetary region are concentrated on the ecliptic plane and a second plane, which we call the "empty ecliptic." This consists in a rotation of the ecliptic around the Galactic pole by 180°. Our numerical integrations confirm that the radial component of the Galactic tide, which is neglected in the derivation of the analytical solutions, is not strong enough to break the relation between L and B derived analytically. Brief examination of observational data shows that there are concentrations near both the ecliptic and the empty ecliptic. We also show that the anomalies of the distribution of B of long-period comets mentioned by several authors are explained by the concentrations on the two planes more consistently than by previous explanations.

A prototype spectrograph using a Virtually Imaged Phased Array (VIPA) as the main dispersion element is presented, and its performance is fully examined in our laboratory. The single-mode, fiber-fed spectrograph with simultaneous wavelength calibration possesses a spectral resolution well in excess of $R\approx 1.12\times {10}^{6}$ while the size of the VIPA is several orders of magnitude smaller than that of a conventional échelle with comparable resolution. In laboratory tests, the VIPA-based instrument with a homemade Yb:fiber ring laser frequency comb demonstrates a mode-to-mode tracking stability of 41 cm s⁻¹ over a period of 6 hr. The VIPA spectrograph has promising applications in various astronomical observations in which ultra-high resolution and calibration precision are imperative, such as solar physics research, exoplanet searching with the radial velocity method, and O₂ detection in the atmosphere of Earth-like planets. Ultimately, feasible optimizations for night-sky observations under seeing limited conditions are discussed.

We present a realization of the maximum-likelihood technique, which is one of the latest modifications of the Baade–Becker–Wesselink method. Our approach is based on nonlinear calibrations of the effective temperature and bolometric correction, which take into account metallicity and surface gravity. It allows one to estimate the key Cepheid parameters, the distance modulus, and the interstellar reddening, combining photometric and spectroscopic data (including the effective temperature data). This method is applied to a sample of 44 Galactic Cepheids for which multiphase temperature measurements are available. The additional data correction is performed to subtract the impact of the component in binary/multiple systems. We also study the effect of shock waves, whose presence in the stellar atmosphere distorts the observational data and leads to systematic errors in the obtained parameters. We determine the optimal restriction on the input data to eliminate this effect. This restriction provides accurate period–radius and period–luminosity relations that are consistent with the results in previous studies. We found the following relations: log R = (0.68 ± 0.03) · log P + (1.14 ± 0.03), M_v = − (2.67 ± 0.16) · (log P − 1) − (4.14 ± 0.05).

Spectroscopic phase curves provide unique access to the three-dimensional properties of transiting exoplanet atmospheres. However, a modeling framework must be developed to deliver accurate inferences of atmospheric properties for these complex data sets. Here, we develop an approach to retrieve temperature structures and molecular abundances from phase curve spectra at any orbital phase. In the context of a representative hot Jupiter with a large day–night temperature contrast, we examine the biases in typical one-dimensional (1D) retrievals as a function of orbital phase/geometry, compared to two-dimensional (2D) models that appropriately capture the disk-integrated phase geometry. We guide our intuition by applying our new framework on a simulated Hubble Space Telescope (HST)+Spitzer phase curve data set in which the "truth" is known, followed by an application to the spectroscopic phase curve of the canonical hot Jupiter, WASP-43b. We also demonstrate the retrieval framework on simulated James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) phase curve observations. We apply our new geometric framework to a joint fit of all spectroscopic phases, assuming longitudinal molecular abundance homogeneity, resulting in an a factor of 2 improvement in abundances precision when compared to individual phase constraints. With a 1D retrieval model on simulated HST+Spitzer data, we find strongly biased molecular abundances for CH₄ and CO₂ at most orbital phases. With 2D, the day and night profiles retrieved from WASP-43b remain consistent throughout the orbit. JWST retrievals show that a 2D model is strongly favored at all orbital phases. Based on our new 2D retrieval implementation, we provide recommendations on when 1D models are appropriate and when more complex phase geometries involving multiple TP profiles are required to obtain an unbiased view of tidally locked planetary atmospheres.

It has been unambiguously shown both in individual systems and at the population level that hot Jupiters experience tidal inspiral before the end of their host stars' main-sequence lifetimes. Ultra-short-period (USP) planets have orbital periods P < 1 day, rocky compositions, and are expected to experience tidal decay on similar timescales to hot Jupiters if the efficiency of tidal dissipation inside their host stars parameterized as ${Q}_{* }^{{\prime} }$ is independent of P and/or secondary mass M_p. Any difference between the two classes of systems would reveal that a model with constant ${Q}_{* }^{{\prime} }$ is insufficient. If USP planets experience tidal inspiral, then USP planet systems will be relatively young compared to similar stars without USP planets. Because it is a proxy for relative age, we calculate the Galactic velocity dispersions of USP planet candidate host and non-host stars using data from Gaia Data Release 2 supplemented with ground-based radial velocities. We find that main-sequence USP planet candidate host stars have kinematics consistent with similar stars in the Kepler field without observed USP planets. This indicates that USP planet hosts have similar ages to field stars and that USP planets do not experience tidal inspiral during the main-sequence lifetimes of their host stars. The survival of USP planets requires that ${Q}_{* }^{{\prime} }$ ≳ 10⁷ at P ≈ 0.7 day and ${M}_{{\rm{p}}}\approx 2.6\,{M}_{\oplus }$. This result demands that ${Q}_{* }^{{\prime} }$ depend on the orbital period and/or mass of the secondary in the range $0.5\,\mathrm{day}\lesssim P\lesssim 5$ days and $1\,{M}_{\oplus }\lesssim {M}_{{\rm{p}}}\lesssim 1000\,{M}_{\oplus }$.

In this paper, the averaged Hamiltonian of a nonrestricted hierarchical triple system truncated at the third order is investigated. First, each secular resonant term is studied. For the well-studied secular quadrupole theory, it is analytically reformulated in a different manner in our work. The resonance width is numerically determined and displayed on the $\sqrt{1-{e}_{1}^{2}}-\sqrt{1-{e}_{2}^{2}}$ plane (also denoted as the ${\widetilde{e}}_{1}-{\widetilde{e}}_{2}$ plane). In terms of the octupole terms, we show that for a near-planar configuration of the system, considerable variations of both the eccentricities of the inner and outer orbits can be generated by a single resonant term. The resonance width for every secular resonant angle from the octupole terms is also numerically determined and displayed on the ${\widetilde{e}}_{1}-{\widetilde{e}}_{2}$ plane. The results show that an orbit flip with a near-perpendicular initial mutual inclination is possible for each secular resonance. By displaying the resonance widths of different resonant terms on the same ${\widetilde{e}}_{1}-{\widetilde{e}}_{2}$ plane, we intuitively show the overlap of different secular resonances. Then, the full averaged Hamiltonian with both quadrupole and octupole terms is investigated using the Poincaré surface of section, with a special focus on the orbit flip. For the cases we exploited, we find that the near-planar flip of the inner orbit can be either regular or chaotic while the outer orbit flip is generally chaotic.

While Spitzer Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) systematics are generally well understood, each data set can provide its own challenges that continue to teach us about the underlying functional form of these systematics. Multiple groups have analyzed the phase curves of WASP-43b with varying detrending techniques, each obtaining different results. In this work, we take another look at WASP-43b while exploring the degenerate relation between Bilinearly Interpolated Subpixel Sensitivity (BLISS) mapping, point response function (PRF)–FWHM detrending, and phase curve parameters. We find that there is a strong correlation between the detrending parameters in the two models, and best-fit phase curve amplitudes vary strongly when the data are temporally binned. To remove this degeneracy, we present a new Gaussian centroided intrapixel sensitivity map (hereafter fixed sensitivity map), generated using 3,712,830 exposures spanning 5 yr, for a variety of aperture sizes at 4.5 μm. We find evidence for time variability in the sensitivity at 3.6 μm and do not generate a visit-independent map for this channel. With the fixed 4.5 μm intrapixel sensitivity map, the best fits for WASP-43b no longer vary strongly with bin size and PRF–FWHM detrending is no longer required to remove correlated noise. For data sets that do not fall completely within the sweet spot, temporal binning should not be used in the analysis of Spitzer phase curves. We confirm nightside emission for WASP-43b with a disk-integrated nightside temperature of 806 ± 48 K at 4.5 μm. The 4.5 μm maps are available at github.com/kevin218/POET.

bet LMi is a double-lined visual binary with an orbital period of ∼39 yr. Via a simultaneous fitting to both astrometric and radial velocity measurements, we give a complete and improved orbit solution with high precision. Then, the component masses are precisely determined as 2.98 ± 0.10 M_⊙ and 1.92 ± 0.04 M_⊙ with a relative precision of ∼3%, respectively. The orbital parallax is determined to be 19.6 ± 0.2 mas, which is two times more precise than Hipparcos parallax. With the known apparent magnitudes and magnitude difference of the components, we derive the luminosity of the components as 50.7 ± 1.8 L_⊙ and 9.1 ± 4.1 L_⊙. The estimated radii of the components are 9.4 ± 0.3 R_⊙ and 3.7 ± 1.5 R_⊙.

A map of 100° on a side extracted from Gaia DR2 and centered on Alpha Persei reveals two distinct structures—the Alpha Persei star cluster and a conspicuous stellar stream, as widely documented in recent literature. In this work we employ DBSCAN to assess individual stars' membership and attempt at separating stars belonging to the cluster and to the stream from the general field. In turn, we characterize the stream and investigate its relation with the cluster. The stream population turned out to be significantly older (5 ± 1 Gyr) than the cluster, and to be positioned ∼90 pc away from the cluster, in its background. The stream exhibits a sizeable thickness of ∼180 pc in the direction of the line of view. Finally, the stream harbors a prominent population of white dwarf stars. We estimated an upper limit of the stream mass of ∼6000M_⊙. The stream would therefore be the leftover of a relatively massive old cluster. The surface density map of Alpha Persei indicates the presence of tidal tails. While it is tempting to ascribe their presence to the interaction with the disrupting old star cluster, we prefer to believe, conservatively, they are of Galactic origin.

We present Stellar Population Interface for Stellar Evolution and Atmospheres (SPISEA), an open-source Python package that simulates simple stellar populations. The strength of SPISEA is its modular interface which offers the user control of 13 input properties including (but not limited to) the initial mass function, stellar multiplicity, extinction law, and the metallicity-dependent stellar evolution and atmosphere model grids used. The user also has control over the initial–final mass relation in order to produce compact stellar remnants (black holes, neutron stars, and white dwarfs). We demonstrate several outputs produced by the code, including color–magnitude diagrams, HR-diagrams, luminosity functions, and mass functions. SPISEA is object-oriented and extensible, and we welcome contributions from the community. The code and documentation are available on GitHub (https://github.com/astropy/SPISEA) and ReadtheDocs (https://spisea.readthedocs.io/en/latest/), respectively.

We demonstrate dynamical pathways from main-belt asteroid and Centaur orbits to those in co-orbital motion with Jupiter, including the retrograde (inclination i > 90°) state. We estimate that, at any given time, there should be ∼1 km-scale or larger escaped asteroid in a transient direct (prograde) orbit with semimajor axis near that of Jupiter's (a ≃ a_J), with proportionally more smaller objects as determined by their size distribution. Most of these objects would be in the horseshoe dynamical state, and are hard to detect due to their moderate eccentricities (spending most of their time beyond 5 au) and longitudes relative to Jupiter being spread nearly all over the sky. We also show that ≈1% of the transient asteroid co-orbital population is on retrograde orbits with Jupiter. This population, like the recently identified asteroid (514107) 2015 BZ₅₀₉, can spend millions of years with a ≃ a_J including tens or hundreds of thousands of years formally in the retrograde 1:-1 co-orbital resonance. Escaping near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are thus likely the precursors of the handful of known high-inclination objects with a ≃ a_J. We compare the production of Jovian co-orbitals from escaping NEAs with those from incoming Centaurs. We find that temporary direct co-orbitals are likely dominated by Centaur capture, but we only find production of (temporary) retrograde Jovian co-orbitals (including very long-lived ones) from the NEA source. We postulate that the primordial elimination of the inner solar system's planetesimal population could provide a supply route for a metastable outer solar system reservoir for the high-inclination Centaurs.

We report mid- to far-infrared imaging and photometry from 7 to 37 μm with SOFIA/FORCAST and 2 μm adaptive optics imaging with LBTI/LMIRCam of a large sample of red supergiants (RSGs) in four Galactic clusters: RSGC1, RSGC2 = Stephenson 2, RSGC3, and NGC 7419. The RSGs in these clusters cover their expected range in luminosity and initial mass from ≈9 to more than 25 M_⊙. The population includes examples of very late-type RSGs such as MY Cep, which may be near the end of the RSG stage, high-mass-losing maser sources, yellow hypergiants, and post-RSG candidates. Many of the stars and almost all of the most luminous have spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with extended infrared excess radiation at the longest wavelengths. To best model their SEDs, we use the DUSTY code with a variable radial density distribution function to estimate their mass-loss rates. Our $\dot{M}$–luminosity relation for 42 RSGs basically follows the classical de Jager curve, but at luminosities below 10⁵${L}_{\odot }$, we find a significant population of RSGs with $\dot{M}$ below the de Jager relation. At luminosities above 10⁵L_⊙, there is a rapid transition to higher mass-loss rates that approximates and overlaps the de Jager curve. We recommend that instead of using a linear relation or single curve, the empirical $\dot{M}$–luminosity relation is better represented by a broad band. Interestingly, the transition to much higher $\dot{M}$ at about 10⁵L_⊙ corresponds approximately to an initial mass of 18–20 M_⊙, which is close to the upper limit for RSGs becoming Type II supernovae.

Long-slit near-infrared (NIR) spectra of the Galactic nuclear star cluster (NSC) are discussed. The spectra sample the major axis of the NSC out to its half-light radius. The absorption spectrum of the central regions of the NSC is averaged over angular scales of tens of arc seconds in order to sample globular cluster-like total luminosities, and the results are compared with model spectra. The equivalent widths of Na i2.21 μm and Ca 2.26 μm outside of the center of the NSC, where light from nuclear bulge stars contributes a large fraction to the total flux, are consistent with solar chemical mixtures. In contrast, the equivalent widths of Na i2.21 μm and Ca i2.26 μm near the center of the NSC are larger than expected from models with solar chemical mixtures, even after light from the brightest evolved stars is removed. The depths of spectroscopic features changing along the major axis of the NSC are consistent with imaging studies that have found evidence of population gradients in the NSC. That Na i2.21 μm and Ca i2.26 μm are deeper than predicted for solar chemical mixtures over a range of evolutionary states is consistent with previous studies that find that the majority of stars near the center of the NSC formed from material that had nonsolar chemical mixtures. The depths of the Na i2.21 μm and Ca i2.26 μm features in the central regions of the NSC are comparable to those in the nuclear spectrum of the early-type Virgo disk galaxy NGC 4491, and are deeper than in the central spectra of NGC 253 and 7793. A spectrum of nebular emission and the youngest stars near the galactic center is also extracted. The equivalent widths of emission features in the extracted NIR spectrum are similar to those in the nuclear spectrum of NGC 253, and it is argued that this agreement is best achieved if the current episode of star formation near the center of the NSC has been in progress for at least a few megayears.

We confirm the planetary nature of a warm Jupiter transiting the early M dwarf TOI-1899 using a combination of available TESS photometry; high-precision, near-infrared spectroscopy with the Habitable-zone Planet Finder; and speckle and adaptive optics imaging. The data reveal a transiting companion on an ∼29 day orbit with a mass and radius of $0.66\pm 0.07\ {M}_{{\rm{J}}}$ and ${1.15}_{-0.05}^{+0.04}\ {R}_{{\rm{J}}}$, respectively. The star, TOI-1899, is the lowest-mass star known to host a transiting warm Jupiter, and we discuss the follow-up opportunities afforded by a warm (${T}_{\mathrm{eq}}\sim 362$ K) gas giant orbiting an M0 star. Our observations reveal that TOI-1899.01 is a puffy warm Jupiter, and we suggest additional transit observations to both refine the orbit and constrain the true dilution observed in TESS.

We report the discovery of a planet in the microlensing event OGLE-2018-BLG-1269 with a planet–host mass ratio q ∼ 6 × 10⁻⁴, i.e., 0.6 times smaller than the Jupiter/Sun mass ratio. Combined with the Gaia parallax and proper motion, a strong one-dimensional constraint on the microlens parallax vector allows us to significantly reduce the uncertainties of lens physical parameters. A Bayesian analysis that ignores any information about light from the host yields that the planet is a cold giant $({M}_{2}={0.69}_{-0.22}^{+0.44}\,{M}_{{\rm{J}}})$ orbiting a Sun-like star $({M}_{1}={1.13}_{-0.35}^{+0.72}\,{M}_{\odot })$ at a distance of ${D}_{{\rm{L}}}={2.56}_{-0.62}^{+0.92}\,\mathrm{kpc}$. The projected planet–host separation is ${a}_{\perp }={4.61}_{-1.17}^{+1.70}\,\mathrm{au}$. Using Gaia astrometry, we show that the blended light lies $\lesssim 12\,\mathrm{mas}$ from the host and therefore must be either the host star or a stellar companion to the host. An isochrone analysis favors the former possibility at >99.6%. The host is therefore a subgiant. For host metallicities in the range of $0.0\leqslant [\mathrm{Fe}/{\rm{H}}]\leqslant +0.3$, the host and planet masses are then in the range of $1.16\leqslant {M}_{1}/{M}_{\odot }\leqslant 1.38$ and $0.74\leqslant {M}_{2}/{M}_{{\rm{J}}}\leqslant 0.89$, respectively. Low host metallicities are excluded. The brightness and proximity of the lens make the event a strong candidate for spectroscopic follow-up both to test the microlensing solution and to further characterize the system.

Planetary systems that show single-transit events are a critical pathway to increasing the yield of long-period exoplanets from transit surveys. From the primary Kepler mission, KIC 5951458 b (Kepler-456b) was thought to be a single-transit giant planet with an orbital period of 1310 days. However, radial velocity (RV) observations of KIC 5951458 from the HIRES instrument on the Keck telescope suggest that the system is far more complicated. To extract precise RVs for this $V\approx 13$ star, we develop a novel matched-template technique that takes advantage of a broad library of template spectra acquired with HIRES. We validate this technique and measure its noise floor to be 4–8 m s⁻¹ (in addition to internal RV error) for most stars that would be targeted for precision RVs. For KIC 5951458, we detect a long-term RV trend that suggests the existence of a stellar companion with an orbital period greater than a few thousand days. We also detect an additional signal in the RVs that is possibly caused by a planetary or brown dwarf companion with mass in the range of 0.6–82 M_Jup and orbital period below a few thousand days. Curiously, from just the data on hand, it is not possible to determine which object caused the single "transit" event. We demonstrate how a modest set of RVs allows us to update the properties of this unusual system and predict the optimal timing for future observations.

Comparing chemical abundances of a planet and the host star reveals the origin and formation pathway of the planet. Stellar abundance is measured with high-resolution spectroscopy. Planet abundance, on the other hand, is usually inferred from low-resolution data. For directly imaged exoplanets, the data are available from a slew of high-contrast imaging/spectroscopy instruments. Here, we study the chemical abundance of HR 8799 and its planet c. We measure stellar abundance using LBT/PEPSI (R = 120,000) and archival HARPS data: stellar [C/H], [O/H], and C/O are 0.11 ± 0.12, 0.12 ± 0.14, and ${0.54}_{-0.09}^{+0.12}$, all consistent with solar values. We conduct atmospheric retrieval using newly obtained Subaru/CHARIS data together with archival Gemini/GPI and Keck/OSIRIS data. We model the planet spectrum with petitRADTRANS and conduct retrieval using PyMultiNest. Retrieved planetary abundance can vary by ∼0.5 dex, from sub-stellar to stellar C and O abundances. The variation depends on whether strong priors are chosen to ensure a reasonable planet mass. Moreover, comparison with previous works also reveals inconsistency in abundance measurements. We discuss potential issues that can cause the inconsistency, e.g., systematics in individual data sets and different assumptions in the physics and chemistry in retrieval. We conclude that no robust retrieval can be obtained unless the issues are fully resolved.