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K2-288Bb: A Small Temperate Planet in a Low-Mass Binary System Discovered by Citizen ScientistsObservations from the Kepler and K2 missions have provided the astronomical community with unprecedented amounts of data to search for transiting exoplanets and other astrophysical phenomena. Here, we present K2-288, a low-mass binary system (M2.0 ± 1.0; M3.0 ± 1.0) hosting a small (Rp=1.9 R), temperate (Teq=226K) planet observed in K2 Campaign 4. The candidate was first identified by citizen scientists using Exoplanet Explorers hosted on the Zooniverse platform. Follow-up observations and detailed analysesvalidate the planet and indicate that it likely orbits the secondary star on a 31.39-day period. This orbit places K2-288Bb in or near the habitable zone of its low-mass host star. K2-288Bb resides in a system with a uniquearchitecture, as it orbits at >0.1 au from one component in a moderate separation binary (a(proj)~55 au), andfurther follow-up may provide insight into its formation and evolution. Additionally, its estimated size straddlesthe observed gap in the planet radius distribution. Planets of this size occur less frequently and may be in atransient phase of radius evolution. K2-288 is the third transiting planet system identified by the ExoplanetExplorers program and its discovery exemplifies the value of citizen science in the era of Kepler, K2, and theTransiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.
Document ID
20190002454
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aafa70
Authors
Feinstein, Adina D. (Tufts Univ. Medford, MA, United States)
Schlieder, Joshua E. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Livingston, John H. (University of Tokyo Tokyo, Japan)
Ciardi, David R. (California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA, United States)
Howard, Andrew W. (California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA, United States)
Arnold, Lauren (University of the Virgin Islands Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands (U.S.))
Barentsen, Geert (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Bristow, Makennah (North Carolina Univ. Asheville, NC, United States)
Christiansen, Jessie L. (California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA, United States)
Crossfield, Ian J. M. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Cambridge, MA, United States)
Dressing, Courtney D. (California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Gonzales, Erica J. (California Univ. Santa Cruz, CA, United States)
Kosiarek, Molly (California Univ. Santa Cruz, CA, United States)
Lintott, Chris J. (University of Oxford Oxford, England, United Kingdom)
Miller, Grant (University of Oxford Oxford, England, United Kingdom)
Morales, Farisa Y. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Petigura, Erik A. (California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA, United States)
Thackeray, Beverly (Maryland Univ. College Park, MD, United States)
Ault, Joanne (University of Oxford Oxford, England, United Kingdom)
Baeten, Elisabeth (University of Oxford Oxford, England, United Kingdom)
Jonkeren, Alexander F. (University of Oxford Oxford, England, United Kingdom)
Langley, James (University of Oxford Oxford, England, United Kingdom)
Moshinaly, Houssen (University of Oxford Oxford, England, United Kingdom)
Pearson, Kirk (University of Oxford Oxford, England, United Kingdom)
Tanner, Christopher (University of Oxford Oxford, England, United Kingdom)
Treasure, Joanna (University of Oxford Oxford, England, United Kingdom)
Date Acquired
April 11, 2019
Publication Date
February 1, 2019
Publication Information
Publication: Astronomical Journal
Publisher: The American Astronomical Society
Volume: 157
Issue: 2
ISSN: 0004-6256
e-ISSN: 1538-3881
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN66236
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Use by or on behalf of the US Gov. Permitted.
Keywords
Kepler and K2 missions
Zooniverse platform
transiting exoplanets

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