Thomas Plunkett

TASSIE: a TASmanian Search for Inclined Exoplanets

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is a nearly all-sky survey taking precise photometric measurements of millions of stars in our galaxy. It has become a powerful tool in the search for exoplanets, along with contributing to studies of stellar evolution through asteroseismology. By targeting bright stars amenable to radial velocity follow-up, the TESS mission aims to increase our statistical sample of exoplanets with accurate radius and mass measurements. It will also provide excellent targets for future atmospheric characterization through transmission spectroscopy. This will help to address outstanding issues in planet formation and evolution, such as testing classic core accretion and migration scenarios. TESS has already discovered thousands of exoplanet candidates across both celestial hemispheres, making these known to the public in the form of TESS Objects of Interest (TOI). However, we often need photometric and spectroscopic follow-up, combined with statistical tests, to validate a candidate as a true exoplanet rather than a false positive (such as an eclipsing binary). Whilst many facilities exist to perform follow-up measurements for stars visible from the Northern hemisphere, the same cannot be said about the Southern hemisphere. Tasmania is a unique location to perform follow-up, due to our mid Southern latitude and existing telescopic infrastructure. Over the Summer of 2023 to 2024, 5 TOIs classified as planetary candidates were observed with the new UTAS Harlingten 50cm telescope. In this talk, I will outline the analysis undertaken and present the validation of two short-period giant planets.