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A Transiting "51 Peg-Like" Planet, Gregory W. Henry, Geoffrey W. Marcy, R. Paul Butler, Steve Vogt

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

Doppler measurements from Keck exhibit a sinusoidal periodicity in the velocities of the G0 dwarf HD 209458, having a semiamplitude of 81 m s^-1 and a period of 3.5239 days, which is indicative of a "51 Peg-like" planet with a minimum mass (M sin i) of 0.62 M_Jup and a semimajor axis of 0.046 AU. Follow-up photometry reveals a drop of 0.017 mag at the predicted time (within the errors) of transit by the companion based on the velocities. This is the first extrasolar planet observed to transit its star. The radius of the planet derived …