PROGRAM

Van der Waals colloquium - Matthew Kenworthy (Leiden Observatory): 'Looking for giant rings around a directly imaged exoplanet in 2017 -- the bRing Project'

Date:

Time:

16:00 hrs

Location:

De Sitterzaal, Oort building, Leiden

 

In 2007, the star J1407 underwent a complex series of eclipses lasting two months, showing temporal structure down to a timescale of 20 minutes. We believe that we are seeing the shadows of rings around an unseen planet (called J1407b) as they move between us and the star. The rings are some 200 times larger than Saturn's rings.

In mid-2017, the young exoplanet beta Pic b will move in front of its star, presenting a unique opportunity to search for rings and to perform transmission spectroscopy of the circumplanetary material. I will present our observing campaign for beta Pictoris in 2017, including the first results from our beta Pic b Ring (bRing) cameras that will carry out continuous monitoring of this star throughout the next 14 months.