Publications of Michaël Gillon     Results 121-140 of 364.   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16   Rossiter-McLaughlin models and their effect on estimates of stellar rotation, illustrated using six WASP systemsBrown, D. J. A.; Triaud, A. H. M. J.; Doyle, A. P. et alin Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2017), 464We present new measurements of the projected spin--orbit angle $\lambda$ for six WASP hot Jupiters, four of which are new to the literature (WASP-61, -62, -76, and -78), and two of which are new analyses ... [more ▼]We present new measurements of the projected spin--orbit angle $\lambda$ for six WASP hot Jupiters, four of which are new to the literature (WASP-61, -62, -76, and -78), and two of which are new analyses of previously measured systems using new data (WASP-71, and -79). We use three different models based on two different techniques: radial velocity measurements of the Rossiter--McLaughlin effect, and Doppler tomography. Our comparison of the different models reveals that they produce projected stellar rotation velocities ($v \sin I_{\rm s}$) measurements often in disagreement with each other and with estimates obtained from spectral line broadening. The Bou\'e model for the Rossiter--McLaughlin effect consistently underestimates the value of $v\sin I_{\rm s}$ compared to the Hirano model. Although $v \sin I_s$ differed, the effect on $\lambda$ was small for our sample, with all three methods producing values in agreement with each other. Using Doppler tomography, we find that WASP-61\,b ($\lambda=4^\circ.0^{+17.1}_{-18.4}$), WASP-71\,b ($\lambda=-1^\circ.9^{+7.1}_{-7.5}$), and WASP-78\,b ($\lambda=-6^\circ.4\pm5.9$) are aligned. WASP-62\,b ($\lambda=19^\circ.4^{+5.1}_{-4.9}$) is found to be slightly misaligned, while WASP-79\,b ($\lambda=-95^\circ.2^{+0.9}_{-1.0}$) is confirmed to be strongly misaligned and has a retrograde orbit. We explore a range of possibilities for the orbit of WASP-76\,b, finding that the orbit is likely to be strongly misaligned in the positive $\lambda$ direction. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 31 (0 ULiège) Assessment of the potential of the new Belgo-Moroccan telescope TRAPPIST-North for high-precision exoplanet transit photometryBarkaoui, Khalid; Gillon, Michaël ; Benkhaldoun, Zouhair et alin Journal of Physics: Conference Series (2017), 869(1), We present the observation of a transit of the exoplanet TrES-3b by the newly commissioned robotic telescope TRAPPIST-North located at Oukaimeden Observatory (Morocco). The obtained light curve reaches a ... [more ▼]We present the observation of a transit of the exoplanet TrES-3b by the newly commissioned robotic telescope TRAPPIST-North located at Oukaimeden Observatory (Morocco). The obtained light curve reaches a photometric precison 600 ppm. Its Bayesian analysis with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo code enables us to refine the radius of the planet to Rp = 1.346+0.065 -0.050 RJup. These results demonstrate the high potential of TRAPPIST-North for high-photometry of exoplanet transits. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 24 (5 ULiège) From Dense Hot Jupiter to Low Density Neptune: The Discovery of WASP-127b, WASP-136b and WASP-138bLam, K. W. F.; Faedi, F.; Brown, D. J. A. et alin Astronomy and Astrophysics (2017), 599We report three newly discovered exoplanets from the SuperWASP survey. WASP-127b is a heavily inflated super-Neptune of mass 0.18Mj and radius 1.35Rj. This is one of the least massive planets discovered ... [more ▼]We report three newly discovered exoplanets from the SuperWASP survey. WASP-127b is a heavily inflated super-Neptune of mass 0.18Mj and radius 1.35Rj. This is one of the least massive planets discovered by the WASP project. It orbits a bright host star (V = 10.16) of spectral type G5 with a period of 4.17 days.WASP-127b is a low density planet which has an extended atmosphere with a scale height of 2500+/-400 km, making it an ideal candidate for transmission spectroscopy. WASP-136b and WASP-138b are both hot Jupiters with mass and radii of 1.51 Mj and 1.38 Rj, and 1.22 Mj and 1.09 Rj, respectively. WASP-136b is in a 5.22-day orbit around an F9 subgiant star with a mass of 1.41 Msun and a radius of 2.21 Rsun. The discovery of WASP-136b could help constraint the characteristics of the giant planet population around evolved stars. WASP-138b orbits an F7 star with a period of 3.63 days. Its radius agrees with theoretical values from standard models, suggesting the presence of a heavy element core with a mass of 10 Mearth. The discovery of these new planets helps in exploring the diverse compositional range of short-period planets, and will aid our understanding of the physical characteristics of both gas giants and low density planets. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 53 (10 ULiège) WASP-157b, a Transiting Hot Jupiter Observed with K2Močnik, T.; Anderson, D. R.; Brown, D. J. A. et alin Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (2016), 970We announce the discovery of the transiting hot Jupiter WASP-157b in a 3.95-d orbit around a V = 12.9 G2 main-sequence star. This moderately inflated planet has a Saturn-like density with a mass of $0.57 ... [more ▼]We announce the discovery of the transiting hot Jupiter WASP-157b in a 3.95-d orbit around a V = 12.9 G2 main-sequence star. This moderately inflated planet has a Saturn-like density with a mass of$0.57 \pm 0.10$M$_{\rm Jup}$and a radius of$1.06 \pm 0.05$R$_{\rm Jup}. We do not detect any rotational or phase-curve modulations, nor the secondary eclipse, with conservative semi-amplitude upper limits of 250 and 20 ppm, respectively. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 56 (2 ULiège) WASP-92b, WASP-93b and WASP-118b: Three new transiting close-in giant planetsHay, K. L.; Collier-Cameron, A.; Doyle, A. P. et alin Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2016), 463We present the discovery of three new transiting giant planets, first detected with the WASP telescopes, and establish their planetary nature with follow up spectroscopy and ground-based photometric ... [more ▼]We present the discovery of three new transiting giant planets, first detected with the WASP telescopes, and establish their planetary nature with follow up spectroscopy and ground-based photometric lightcurves. WASP-92 is an F7 star, with a moderately inflated planet orbiting with a period of 2.17 days, which has R[SUB]p[/SUB] = 1.461 ± 0.077R[SUB]J[/SUB] and M[SUB]p[/SUB] = 0.805 ± 0.068M[SUB]J[/SUB]. WASP-93b orbits its F4 host star every 2.73 days and has R[SUB]p[/SUB] = 1.597 ± 0.077R[SUB]J[/SUB] and M[SUB]p[/SUB] = 1.47 ± 0.029M[SUB]J[/SUB]. WASP-118b also has a hot host star (F6) and is moderately inflated, where R[SUB]p[/SUB] = 1.440 ± 0.036R[SUB]J[/SUB] and M[SUB]p[/SUB] = 0.514 ± 0.020M[SUB]J[/SUB] and the planet has an orbital period of 4.05 days. They are bright targets (V = 13.18, 10.97 and 11.07 respectively) ideal for further characterisation work, particularly WASP-118b, which is being observed by K2 as part of campaign 8. The WASP-93 system has sufficient angular momentum to be tidally migrating outwards if the system is near spin-orbit alignment, which is divergent from the tidal behaviour of the majority of hot Jupiters discovered. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 63 (6 ULiège) TRAPPIST-NordJehin, Emmanuel ; Gillon, Michaël ; Benkhaldoun, Zouhair et alin Ciel (Le) (2016)Un nouveau télescope a été inauguré à l’observatoire de L’Oukaimeden au Maroc en présence de chercheurs de l’université Cadi Ayyad de Marrakech et d’astronomes de l’université de Liège. Cet observatoire ... [more ▼]Un nouveau télescope a été inauguré à l’observatoire de L’Oukaimeden au Maroc en présence de chercheurs de l’université Cadi Ayyad de Marrakech et d’astronomes de l’université de Liège. Cet observatoire se trouve dans l’Atlas marocain à 2 750 m d’altitude et bénéficie de plus de 250 nuits claires par an. Il abrite déjà plusieurs télescopes d’universités étrangères. Il s’agit de TRAPPIST-Nord, un télescope jumeau de celui qui a été installé en 2010 à l’observatoire de La Silla au Chili et qui a récemment fait parler de lui avec la découverte d’un des systèmes planétaires les plus proches contenant des planètes terrestres potentiellement habitables. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 14 (2 ULiège) Discovery of temperate Earth-sized planets transiting a nearby ultracool dwarf starJehin, Emmanuel ; Gillon, Michaël ; Lederer, Susan M. et alin AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts (2016, October 01)We report the discovery of three short-period Earth-sized planets transiting a nearby ultracool dwarf star using data collected by the Liège TRAPPIST telescope, located in la Silla (Chile). TRAPPIST-1 is ... [more ▼]We report the discovery of three short-period Earth-sized planets transiting a nearby ultracool dwarf star using data collected by the Liège TRAPPIST telescope, located in la Silla (Chile). TRAPPIST-1 is an isolated M8.0±0.5-type dwarf star at a distance of 12.0±0.4 parsecs as measured by its trigonometric parallax, with an age constrained to be > 500 Myr, and with a luminosity, mass, and radius of 0.05%, 8% and 11.5% those of the Sun, respectively. The small size of the host star, only slightly larger than Jupiter, translates into Earth-like radii for the three discovered planets, as deduced from their transit depths. The inner two planets receive four and two times the irradiation of Earth, respectively, placing them close to the inner edge of the habitable zone of the star. Several orbits remain possible for the third planet based on our current data. The infrared brightness of the host star combined with its Jupiter-like size offer the possibility of thoroughly characterizing the components of this nearby planetary system. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 89 (5 ULiège) 2003 AZ84: Size, shape, albedo and first detection of topographic featuresDias-Oliveira, Alex; Sicardy, Bruno; Ortiz, Jose-Luis et alin AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts (2016, October 01)We analyze two multi-chord stellar occultations by the Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO) 2003 AZ84 observed on February 3, 2012 and November 15, 2014.They provide different elliptical limb fits that are ... [more ▼]We analyze two multi-chord stellar occultations by the Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO) 2003 AZ84 observed on February 3, 2012 and November 15, 2014.They provide different elliptical limb fits that are consistent to within their respective error bars, but could also suggest a possible precession of the object (assumed here to be a Maclaurin spheroid). The derived equatorial radius and oblateness are R[SUB]e[/SUB] = 393 ± 7 km and ɛ = 0.057 in 2014 and R[SUB]e[/SUB] = 414 ± 13 km and ɛ = 0.165 in 2012, respectively. Those results are consistent with single-chord events observed in January 2011 and December 2013. The figures above provide geometric visual albedos of p[SUB]V(2014)[/SUB] = 0.112 ± 0.008 and p[SUB]V(2012)[/SUB] = 0.114 ± 0.020. Using the Maclaurin assumption, combined with possible rotational periods of 6.67 h and 10.56 h, we estimate density upper limits of 1.89 ± 0.16g/cm[SUP]3[/SUP] and 0.77 ± 0.07g/cm[SUP]3[/SUP] for the two dates, respectively.The 2014 event provides (for the first time during a TNO occultation) a grazing chord with a gradual disappearance of the star behind 2003[SUB]AZ[/SUB]84's limb that lasts for more than 10 seconds. We rule out the possibility of a localized dust concentration as it would imply very high optical depth for that cloud. We favor a local topographic feature (chasm) with minimum width and depth of 22 ± 2.5 km and 7 ± 2.0 km, respectively. Features with similar depths are in fact observed on Pluto's main satellite, Charon, which has a radius of about 605 km, comparable to that of 2003[SUB]AZ[/SUB]84. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 71 (2 ULiège) WASP-113b and WASP-114b, two inflated hot-Jupiters with contrasting densitiesBarros, S. C. C.; Brown, D. J. A.; Hébrard, G. et alin Astronomy and Astrophysics (2016), 593We present the discovery and characterisation of the exoplanets WASP-113b and WASP-114b by the WASP survey, {\it SOPHIE} and {\it CORALIE}. The planetary nature of the systems was established by ... [more ▼]We present the discovery and characterisation of the exoplanets WASP-113b and WASP-114b by the WASP survey, {\it SOPHIE} and {\it CORALIE}. The planetary nature of the systems was established by performing follow-up photometric and spectroscopic observations. The follow-up data were combined with the WASP-photometry and analysed with an MCMC code to obtain system parameters. The host stars WASP-113 and WASP-114 are very similar. They are both early G-type stars with an effective temperature of\sim 5900\,$K, [Fe/H]$\sim 0.12$and$T_{\rm eff}\sim 4.1$dex. However, WASP-113 is older than WASP-114. Although the planetary companions have similar radii, WASP-114b is almost 4 times heavier than WASP-113b. WASP-113b has a mass of$0.48\,\mathrm{M}_{\rm Jup}$and an orbital period of$\sim 4.5\,$days; WASP-114b has a mass of$1.77\,\mathrm{M}_{\rm Jup}$and an orbital period of$\sim 1.5\,$days. Both planets have inflated radii, in particular WASP-113 with a radius anomaly of$\Re=0.35$. The high scale height of WASP-113b ($\sim 950$km ) makes it a good target for follow-up atmospheric observations. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 39 (2 ULiège) WASP-86b and WASP-102b: super-dense versus bloated planetsFaedi, F.; Gómez Maqueo Chew, Y.; Pollacco, D. et alE-print/Working paper (2016)We report the discovery of two transiting planetary systems: a super dense, sub-Jupiter mass planet WASP-86b (\mpl\ = 0.82$\pm$0.06 \mj, \rpl\ = 0.63$\pm$0.01 \rj), and a bloated, Saturn-like planet ... [more ▼]We report the discovery of two transiting planetary systems: a super dense, sub-Jupiter mass planet WASP-86b (\mpl\ = 0.82$\pm$0.06 \mj, \rpl\ = 0.63$\pm$0.01 \rj), and a bloated, Saturn-like planet WASP-102b (\mpl\ = 0.62$\pm$0.04 \mj, \rpl\=1.27$\pm$0.03 \rj). They orbit their host star every$\sim$5.03, and$\sim$2.71 days, respectively. The planet hosting WASP-86 is a F7 star (\teff\ = 6330$\pm$110 K, \feh\ =$+$0.23$\pm$0.14 dex, and age$\sim$0.8--1~Gyr), WASP-102 is a G0 star (\teff\ = 5940$\pm$140 K, \feh\ =$-$0.09$\pm$0.19 dex, and age$\sim$1~Gyr). These two systems highlight the diversity of planetary radii over similar masses for giant planets with masses between Saturn and Jupiter. WASP-102b shows a larger than model-predicted radius, indicating that the planet is receiving a strong incident flux which contributes to the inflation of its radius. On the other hand, with a density of$\rho_{pl}$= 3.24$\pm$~0.3~$\rho_{jup}$, WASP-86b is the densest gas giant planet among planets with masses in the range 0.05$100 of the brightness of the coma near the nucleus. Dust related phenomena (dust counts or brightness due to illuminated dust) showed the strongest enhancements (factors >10). However, even the electron density at Rosetta increased by a factor 3 and consequently the spacecraft potential changed from ˜-16 V to -20 V during the outburst. A clear sequence of events was observed at the distance of Rosetta (34 km from the nucleus): within 15 minutes the Star Tracker camera detected fast particles (˜25 m s[SUP]-1[/SUP]) while 100 μm radius particles were detected by the GIADA dust instrument ˜1 hour later at a speed of ~6 m s[SUP]-1[/SUP]. The slowest were individual mm to cm sized grains observed by the OSIRIS cameras. Although the outburst originated just outside the FOV of the instruments, the source region and the magnitude of the outburst could be determined. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 58 (9 ULiège) Probing TRAPPIST-1-like Systems with K2Demory, Brice-Olivier; Queloz, Didier; Alibert, Yann et alin Astrophysical Journal. Letters (2016), 825The search for small planets orbiting late M dwarfs holds the promise of detecting Earth-size planets for which their atmospheres could be characterized within the next decade. The recent discovery of ... [more ▼]The search for small planets orbiting late M dwarfs holds the promise of detecting Earth-size planets for which their atmospheres could be characterized within the next decade. The recent discovery of TRAPPIST-1 entertains hope that these systems are common around hosts located at the bottom of the main sequence. In this Letter, we investigate the ability of the repurposed Kepler mission (K2) to probe planetary systems similar to TRAPPIST-1. We perform a consistent data analysis of 189 spectroscopically confirmed M5.5 to M9 late M dwarfs from Campaigns 1-6 to search for planet candidates and inject transit signals with properties matching TRAPPIST-1b and c. We find no transiting planet candidates across our K2 sample. Our injection tests show that K2 is able to recover both TRAPPIST-1 planets for 10% of the sample only, mainly because of the inefficient throughput at red wavelengths resulting in Poisson-limited performance for these targets. Increasing injected planetary radii to match GJ 1214b’s size yields a recovery rate of 70%. The strength of K2 is its ability to probe a large number of cool hosts across the different campaigns, out of which the recovery rate of 10% may turn into bona fide detections of TRAPPIST-1-like systems within the next two years. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 25 (1 ULiège) Five transiting hot Jupiters discovered using WASP-South, Euler, and TRAPPIST: WASP-119 b, WASP-124 b, WASP-126 b, WASP-129 b, and WASP-133 bMaxted, P. F. L.; Anderson, D. R.; Collier Cameron, A. et alin Astronomy and Astrophysics (2016), 591We have used photometry from the WASP-South instrument to identify 5 stars showing planet-like transits in their light curves. The planetary nature of the companions to these stars has been confirmed ... [more ▼]We have used photometry from the WASP-South instrument to identify 5 stars showing planet-like transits in their light curves. The planetary nature of the companions to these stars has been confirmed using photometry from the EulerCam instrument on the Swiss Euler 1.2-m telescope and the TRAPPIST telescope, and spectroscopy obtained with the CORALIE spectrograph. The planets discovered are hot Jupiter systems with orbital periods in the range 2.17 to 5.75 days, masses from 0.3 M[SUB]Jup[/SUB] to 1.2 M[SUB]Jup[/SUB] and with radii from 1 R[SUB]Jup[/SUB] to 1.5 R[SUB]Jup[/SUB]. These planets orbit bright stars (V = 11-13) with spectral types in the range F9 to G4. WASP-126 is the brightest planetary system in this sample and hosts a low-mass planet with a large radius (0.3 M[SUB]Jup[/SUB],0.95 R[SUB]Jup[/SUB]), making it a good target for transmission spectroscopy. The high density of WASP-129 A suggests that it is a helium-rich star similar to HAT-P-11 A. WASP-133 A has an enhanced surface lithium abundance compared to other old G-type stars, particularly other planet host stars. These planetary systems are good targets for follow-up observations with ground-based and space-based facilities to study their atmospheric and dynamical properties. Full Tables 2 and 3 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/591/A55 [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 29 (1 ULiège) WASP-120b, WASP-122b and WASP-123b: Three newly discovered planets from the WASP-South surveyTurner, O. D.; Anderson, D. R.; Collier Cameron, A. et alin Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (2016), 128We present the discovery by the WASP-South survey of three planets transiting moderately bright stars (V ~ 11). WASP-120b is a massive (5.0MJup) planet in a 3.6-day orbit that we find likely to be ... [more ▼]We present the discovery by the WASP-South survey of three planets transiting moderately bright stars (V ~ 11). WASP-120b is a massive (5.0MJup) planet in a 3.6-day orbit that we find likely to be eccentric (e = 0.059+0.025-0.018) around an F5 star. WASP-122b is a hot-Jupiter (1.37MJup, 1.79RJup) in a 1.7-day orbit about a G4 star. Our predicted transit depth variation cause by the atmosphere of WASP-122b suggests it is well suited to characterisation. WASP-123b is a hot-Jupiter (0.92MJup, 1.33RJup) in a 3.0-day orbit around an old (~ 7 Gyr) G5 star. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 35 (0 ULiège) WASP-121 b: a hot Jupiter close to tidal disruption transiting an active F starDelrez, Laetitia ; Santerne, A.; Almenara, J.-M. et alin Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2016), 458(4), 4025-4043We present the discovery by the WASP-South survey of WASP-121 b, a new remarkable short-period transiting hot Jupiter. The planet has a mass of 1.183_{-0.062}^{+0.064} MJup, a radius of 1.865 ± 0.044 RJup ... [more ▼]We present the discovery by the WASP-South survey of WASP-121 b, a new remarkable short-period transiting hot Jupiter. The planet has a mass of 1.183_{-0.062}^{+0.064} MJup, a radius of 1.865 ± 0.044 RJup, and transits every 1.274 9255_{-0.000 0025}^{+0.000 0020} days an active F6-type main-sequence star (V = 10.4, 1.353_{-0.079}^{+0.080} M⊙, 1.458 ± 0.030 R⊙, Teff = 6460 ± 140 K). A notable property of WASP-121 b is that its orbital semimajor axis is only ˜1.15 times larger than its Roche limit, which suggests that the planet is close to tidal disruption. Furthermore, its large size and extreme irradiation (˜7.1 109 erg s-1 cm-2) make it an excellent target for atmospheric studies via secondary eclipse observations. Using the TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope, we indeed detect its emission in the z'-band at better than ˜4σ, the measured occultation depth being 603 ± 130 ppm. Finally, from a measurement of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect with the CORALIE spectrograph, we infer a sky-projected spin-orbit angle of 257.8°_{-5.5°}^{+5.3°}. This result may suggest a significant misalignment between the spin axis of the host star and the orbital plane of the planet. If confirmed, this high misalignment would favour a migration of the planet involving strong dynamical events with a third body. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 62 (2 ULiège) Temperate Earth-sized planets transiting a nearby ultracool dwarf starGillon, Michaël ; Jehin, Emmanuel ; Lederer, Susan M. et alin Nature (2016), 533Star-like objects with effective temperatures of less than 2,700 kelvin are referred to as ‘ultracool dwarfs’. This heterogeneous group includes stars of extremely low mass as well as brown dwarfs ... [more ▼]Star-like objects with effective temperatures of less than 2,700 kelvin are referred to as ‘ultracool dwarfs’. This heterogeneous group includes stars of extremely low mass as well as brown dwarfs (substellar objects not massive enough to sustain hydrogen fusion), and represents about 15 per cent of the population of astronomical objects near the Sun. Core-accretion theory predicts that, given the small masses of these ultracool dwarfs, and the small sizes of their protoplanetary disks, there should be a large but hitherto undetected population of terrestrial planets orbiting them—ranging from metal-rich Mercury-sized planets to more hospitable volatile-rich Earth-sized planets. Here we report observations of three short-period Earth-sized planets transiting an ultracool dwarf star only 12 parsecs away. The inner two planets receive four times and two times the irradiation of Earth, respectively, placing them close to the inner edge of the habitable zone of the star. Our data suggest that 11 orbits remain possible for the third planet, the most likely resulting in irradiation significantly less than that received by Earth. The infrared brightness of the host star, combined with its Jupiter-like size, offers the possibility of thoroughly characterizing the components of this nearby planetary system. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 94 (14 ULiège) CHEOPS (Characterising Exoplanets Satellite) MissionScandariato, G.; Ehrenreich, D.; Pagano, I. et alin PoS Proceedings of Science (2016, May 01)The Characterizing ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) mission was selected in October 2012 by ESA as the first small mission. It will be a ultra-high precision photometer dedicated to the observation of ... [more ▼]The Characterizing ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) mission was selected in October 2012 by ESA as the first small mission. It will be a ultra-high precision photometer dedicated to the observation of transits of known exoplanets on bright stars, for which the mass has already been measured via ground-based spectroscopic surveys. Its precision will allow the accurate determination of the planetary radii and, by consequence, the planetary bulk density. CHEOPS will also unveil transit- ing exoplanets of interest for in-depth characterization, a legacy for future instruments suited to the spectroscopic characterization of exoplanetary atmospheres. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 40 (3 ULiège) The Sun as a planet-host star: proxies from SDO images for HARPS radial-velocity variationsHaywood, R. D.; Collier Cameron, A.; Unruh, Y. C. et alin Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2016), 457The Sun is the only star whose surface can be directly resolved at high resolution, and therefore constitutes an excellent test case to explore the physical origin of stellar radial-velocity (RV ... [more ▼]The Sun is the only star whose surface can be directly resolved at high resolution, and therefore constitutes an excellent test case to explore the physical origin of stellar radial-velocity (RV) variability. We present HARPS observations of sunlight scattered off the bright asteroid 4/Vesta, from which we deduced the Sun's activity-driven RV variations. In parallel, the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager instrument on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory provided us with simultaneous high spatial resolution magnetograms, Dopplergrams and continuum images of the Sun in the Fe I 6173 Å line. We determine the RV modulation arising from the suppression of granular blueshift in magnetized regions and the flux imbalance induced by dark spots and bright faculae. The rms velocity amplitudes of these contributions are 2.40 and 0.41 m s[SUP]-1[/SUP], respectively, which confirms that the inhibition of convection is the dominant source of activity-induced RV variations at play, in accordance with previous studies. We find the Doppler imbalances of spot and plage regions to be only weakly anticorrelated. Light curves can thus only give incomplete predictions of convective blueshift suppression. We must instead seek proxies that track the plage coverage on the visible stellar hemisphere directly. The chromospheric flux index R^' }_{HK} derived from the HARPS spectra performs poorly in this respect, possibly because of the differences in limb brightening/darkening in the chromosphere and photosphere. We also find that the activity-driven RV variations of the Sun are strongly correlated with its full-disc magnetic flux density, which may become a useful proxy for activity-related RV noise. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 30 (2 ULiège) A map of the large day-night temperature gradient of a super-Earth exoplanetDemory, Brice-Olivier; Gillon, Michaël ; de Wit, Julien et alin Nature (2016), 532Over the past decade, observations of giant exoplanets (Jupiter-size) have provided key insights into their atmospheres, but the properties of lower-mass exoplanets (sub-Neptune) remain largely ... [more ▼]Over the past decade, observations of giant exoplanets (Jupiter-size) have provided key insights into their atmospheres, but the properties of lower-mass exoplanets (sub-Neptune) remain largely unconstrained because of the challenges of observing small planets. Numerous efforts to observe the spectra of super-Earths—exoplanets with masses of one to ten times that of Earth—have so far revealed only featureless spectra. Here we report a longitudinal thermal brightness map of the nearby transiting super-Earth 55 Cancri e (refs 4, 5) revealing highly asymmetric dayside thermal emission and a strong day-night temperature contrast. Dedicated space-based monitoring of the planet in the infrared revealed a modulation of the thermal flux as 55 Cancri e revolves around its star in a tidally locked configuration. These observations reveal a hot spot that is located 41 ± 12 degrees east of the substellar point (the point at which incident light from the star is perpendicular to the surface of the planet). From the orbital phase curve, we also constrain the nightside brightness temperature of the planet to 1,380 ± 400 kelvin and the temperature of the warmest hemisphere (centred on the hot spot) to be about 1,300 kelvin hotter (2,700 ± 270 kelvin) at a wavelength of 4.5 micrometres, which indicates inefficient heat redistribution from the dayside to the nightside. Our observations are consistent with either an optically thick atmosphere with heat recirculation confined to the planetary dayside, or a planet devoid of atmosphere with low-viscosity magma flows at the surface. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 45 (0 ULiège) FORS2 observes a multi-epoch transmission spectrum of the hot Saturn-mass exoplanet WASP-49bLendl, M.; Delrez, Laetitia ; Gillon, Michaël et alin Astronomy and Astrophysics (2016), 587Context. Transmission spectroscopy has proven to be a useful tool for the study of exoplanet atmospheres, because the absorption and scattering signatures of the atmosphere manifest themselves as ... [more ▼]Context. Transmission spectroscopy has proven to be a useful tool for the study of exoplanet atmospheres, because the absorption and scattering signatures of the atmosphere manifest themselves as variations in the planetary transit depth. Several planets have been studied with this technique, leading to the detection of a small number of elements and molecules (Na, K, H[SUB]2[/SUB]O), but also revealing that many planets show flat transmission spectra consistent with the presence of opaque high-altitude clouds.