Find an exoplanet transit to observe! Select a region below and choose an event near your location.
Click on a row to display the event’s visibility map and click here for more explanation.
*** AFTER OBSERVING, please submit this REPORT FORM so we know to process your data. ***
Featured Exoplanet Transit for August 2023: HD 114082b
The Unistellar network has observed the star HD 114082 in search of a transit before, but its exoplanet, HD 114082b, is elusive. Only two transits have been observed by TESS, NASA’s planet hunting satellite, but astronomers were able to confirm the planet’s existence in November of 2022 using the initial transit combined with radial velocity data – which shows how the host star wiggles under the influence of the planet.
Studies indicate that this gas giant has a mass 8 times that of Jupiter and orbits its star every ~120 days, making it a “warm super-Jupiter.” But astronomers are still unsure of its period (how long it takes to orbit its star) because the two transits observed by TESS appear quite different. That could be because this planet’s star is home to a large dusty disk that shows evidence for its youth, as well as planet formation! This disk, along with variability in the star’s brightness, could be throwing off scientific measurements. That means that we need more information to confirm the planet’s period – and you can help by watching for another transit!
This is a Southern Hemisphere only target. Observations taking place between August 27 05:00 UTC and August 28 07:00 UTC will be useful! However, the transit is expected to begin at August 27 11:08 UTC and end at 01:14 UTC on the 28th. The most important observations will be those surrounding the beginning (ingress) and end (egress). So those in Oceania and South America – we are counting on you!
If you plan to observe the ingress and egress, please observe for at least 90 minutes before and after the given time. For example, someone in Oceania aiming to observe ingress would start their observation August 27th at 09:38 UTC and end at 12:38 UTC (or later). Someone in South America aiming to observe egress would start at 23:44 UTC (or earlier) on August 27th and end at 02:44 UTC on August 28th.
How you can help refine the orbit of a dusty warm super-Jupiter
If this is your first time observing an exoplanet transit with a Unistellar telescope, check out our Get Started page for an overview of the techniques involved. Then:
- Play the adjacent spinning-globe animation to find the UTC date and time that your location enters and exits the red shaded region. The entry time is the earliest you can start your observation and the exit time is the latest you can end that observation.
IMPORTANT: Convert the UTC date & time to your local time zone to make sure you have the right start and end times. - When it is time to start your observation, click this deeplink from the device controlling your telescope and observe for at least three hours, which is the minimum recommended observing time. Click “Goto” to point to the target, then “Record” to begin collecting data. Alternatively, you can manually input the “Exoplanet transit” mode recording settings below.
Right ascension: 13h 09m 16.11s
Declination: -60° 18′ 30.36″
Duration: 03h 00m 00s (recommended)
Exposure time: 2010 ms
Gain: 1 dB
Cadence: 4000 ms
Please observe more than 3 hours if you can! - After finishing your science observations, record “sensor calibration” dark frames as instructed in the tutorial.
- After you are done observing for the night, please submit this short REPORT FORM so we know to process your data.
In its entirety, the window for helpful observations begins in the evening Sunday August 27 at 05:00 (UTC) and ends on Monday August 28 at UTC 07:00 (UTC).
You can expect a recap of the event within ~1 week and the preliminary results of your observations within ~1 month.
If you have any questions, please reach out to us at citizenscience@unistellaroptics.com.
Predictions Table Explained
Symbols
- Blue stars & shading = full visibility (you can observe the entire event)
- Yellow triangles = full visibility but some tracking difficulty (when target altitude > 70 degrees)
- Orange diamonds = partial visibility; you may miss the start or end of the event
- No symbol = no visibility (either the target is not up or it is too close to daytime)
- Click on a symbol on the map to show precise observation times, target altitudes, and Sun altitudes specific to that location.
Table
- The Link automatically populates observing settings into the Unistellar app’s “Exoplanet transits” Science menu.
- Note that these links will only work from your smartphone/tablet with the Unistellar app installed.
- Finder is an image of the target field of view (your live view may be rotated by comparison).
- Date is the observation start date in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).
- Start UTC is the overall event’s observation start time in UTC. Your own start time may differ — click on the visibility map’s icons for location-specific times.
- End UTC is the overall event’s observation end time in UTC. Your own end time may differ — click on the visibility map’s icons for location-specific times.
- Local is the observation start time in the time zone of your device’s browser.
- eVscope settings are in Exp (exposure time in milliseconds), Gain (in decibels), Cad (cadence in milliseconds), Ra (right ascension), & Dec (declination).