TESS Discovery of a Transiting Super-Earth in the $Π$ Mensae System [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/1809.05967


We report the detection of a transiting planet around $\pi$ Mensae (HD\,39091), using data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The solar-type host star is unusually bright (V=5.7) and was already known to host a Jovian planet on a highly eccentric, 5.7-year orbit. The newly discovered planet has a size of 2.14$\pm$ 0.04~$R_\oplus$ and an orbital period of 6.27 days. Radial-velocity data from the HARPS and AAT/UCLES archives also displays a 6.27-day periodicity, confirming the existence of the planet and leading to a mass determination of 4.82$\pm$ 0.85~$M_\oplus$. The star’s proximity and brightness will facilitate further investigations, such as atmospheric spectroscopy, asteroseismology, the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect, astrometry, and direct imaging.

Read this paper on arXiv…

C. Huang, J. Burt, A. Vanderburg, et. al.
Tue, 18 Sep 18
11/70

Comments: Submitted to AAS Letter. This letter makes use of the TESS Alert data, which is currently in a beta test phase