Possible Planet Transit

A. Lecavelier (1)

1 IAP - Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris

In 1981, Beta Pictoris showed strong and rapid photometric variations possibly due to a transiting giant planet. Latter a planet has been identified using imagery. The planet has been observed at the two different epochs (2003; 2009-2013) at a projected distance of about 8 au in each side from the central star. The observed motion is consistent with an inferior conjunction in 1981, and Beta Pic b can be the transiting planet proposed to explain the photometric event observed in 1981. We will investigate this possibility and search for the different possible orbits compatible all measurements of the planet position published so far, with the hypothesis of the 1981 event being due to the transit of Beta Pic b. We will describe the sets of orbits which are compatible with these constraints. We also estimate the possible dates for the next transits which could take place as early as in 2016 or 2017.

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]

A. Lecavelier. Possible Planet Transit. Proceedings of the conference Thirty years of beta Pic and debris disks studies. Held at Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris - France, 0000, à renseigner, Unknown Region. ⟨insu-03645310⟩