
The Library
The little dippers : transits of star-grazing exocomets?
Tools
Ansdell, M., Gaidos, E., Jacobs, T. L., Mann, A., Manara, C. F., Kennedy, Grant M., Vanderburg, A., Kenworthy, M., Hirano, T., LaCourse, D. M., Hedges, C. and Frasca, A. (2019) The little dippers : transits of star-grazing exocomets? Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 483 (3). pp. 3579-3591. doi:10.1093/mnras/sty3289 ISSN 0035-8711.
|
PDF
WRAP-little-dippers-transits-star-grazing-exocomets-Kennedy-2018.pdf - Accepted Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (2355Kb) | Preview |
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sty3289
Abstract
We describe EPIC 205718330 and EPIC 235240266, two systems identified in the K2 data whose light curves contain episodic drops in brightness with shapes and durations similar to those of the young `dipper' stars, yet shallower by ˜1-2 orders of magnitude. These `little dippers' have diverse profile shapes with durations of ≃0.5-1.0 d and depths of ≃0.1-1.0 per cent in flux; however, unlike most of the young dipper stars, these do not exhibit any detectable infrared excess indicative of protoplanetary discs, and our ground-based follow-up spectra lack any signatures of youth while indicating that these objects are kinematically old. After ruling out instrumental and/or data processing artefacts as sources of the dimming events, we investigate possible astrophysical mechanisms based on the light curve and stellar properties. We argue that the little dippers are consistent with transits of star-grazing exocomets, and speculate that they are signposts of massive non-transiting exoplanets driving the close-approach orbits.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Subjects: | Q Science > QB Astronomy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Physics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Comets, Asteroids, Planetary systems | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: | Wiley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ISSN: | 0035-8711 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Official Date: | 1 March 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dates: |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Volume: | 483 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number: | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Page Range: | pp. 3579-3591 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DOI: | 10.1093/mnras/sty3289 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reuse Statement (publisher, data, author rights): | This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society following peer review. The version of record M Ansdell, E Gaidos, T L Jacobs, A Mann, C F Manara, G M Kennedy, A Vanderburg, M Kenworthy, T Hirano, D M LaCourse, C Hedges, A Frasca; The little dippers: transits of star-grazing exocomets?, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 483, Issue 3, 1 March 2019, Pages 3579–3591 is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sty3289 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 8 January 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 8 January 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RIOXX Funder/Project Grant: |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Open Access Version: |
Request changes or add full text files to a record
Repository staff actions (login required)
![]() |
View Item |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year