XO Project

The XO Project is an international team of amateur and professional astronomers tasked with identifying extrasolar planets. They are led by Peter R. McCullough of the Space Telescope Science Institute.[1] It is primarily funded by NASA's Origins Program and the Director's Discretionary Fund of the Space Telescope Science Institute.[2][3]

Duties

Preliminary identification of possible star candidates starts at the Haleakala telescope in Hawaii by a team of professional astronomers. Once they identify a star that dims slightly from time to time (the transit method), the information is forwarded to a team of amateur astronomers who then investigate for additional evidence suggesting this dimming is caused by a transiting planet. Once enough data is collected, it is forwarded to the University of Texas McDonald Observatory to confirm the presence of a transiting planet by a second team of professional astronomers.[2]

Equipment

McCullough and his team employed a relatively inexpensive telescope called the XO Telescope, made from commercial equipment, to search for extrasolar planets. The construction of the one-of-a-kind telescope cost $60,000 for the hardware, and much more than that for the associated software.[4] The telescope consists of two 200-millimeter telephoto camera lenses, and resembles binoculars in shape. It is similar to the TrES survey telescope. It stands on the summit of the Haleakalā volcano and 3,054 m (10,000 foot) in Hawaii.[1] Their first discovery of a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a Sun-like star 600 light-years from Earth in the constellation Corona Borealis—XO-1b—was reported May 16, 2006 on Newswise.

In 2016 three similar double telescopes were operating, two in Spain and one in Utah.[5]

Discoveries

The XO telescope has discovered six objects so far, five are hot Jupiter planets and one, XO-3b, may be a brown dwarf.

Star	Constellation	Right ascension	Declination	App. mag.	Distance (ly)	Spectral type	Planet	Mass (`M`_J)	Radius (`R`_J)	Orbital period (d)	Semimajor axis (AU)	Orbital eccentricity	Inclination (°)	Discovery year
XO-1[6]	Corona Borealis	16^h 02^m 12^s	+28° 10′ 11″	11.319	600	G1V	XO-1b	0.9	1.3	3.941534	0.0488	0	87.7	2006
XO-2N[7]	Lynx	07^h 48^m 07^s	+50° 13′ 33″	11.25	486	K0V	XO-2Nb	0.57	0.973	2.615838	0.0369	0	88.58	2007
XO-3[8]	Camelopardalis	04^h 21^m 53^s	+57° 49′ 01″	9.91	850	F5V	XO-3b	11.79	1.217	3.1915239	0.0454	0.26	84.2	2007
XO-4[9]	Lynx	07^h 21^m 33.1657^s	+58° 16′ 05.005″	10.78	956	F5V	XO-4b	1.72	1.34	4.12502	0.0555	0.0024	88.7	2008
XO-5[10]	Lynx	07^h 46^m 51.959^s	+39° 05′ 40.47″	12.1	881	G8V	XO-5b	1.15	1.15	4.187732	0.0508	0.0029	86.8	2008
XO-6[11]	Camelopardalis	6^h 19^m 10.31^s	+73° 49′ 39.24″	10.28	760	F5V	XO-6b	4.4	2.07	3.76	0.082	0	86.0	2016
XO-7	Draco	18^h 29^m 52.30^s	85° 13′ 59.58″	10.52	763	G0V	XO-7b	0.71	1.373	2.8641424	0.04421	0.038	83.45	2019

References

Astronomers Catch Planet By Unusual Means, Space Daily
XO-3b: Supersized planet or oasis in the 'brown dwarf desert'?, EurekAlert!
Astronomers Use Innovative Technique to Find Extrasolar Planet, HubbleSite
McCullough, P. R.; et al. (2005). "The XO Project: Searching for Transiting Extrasolar Planet Candidates". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 117 (834): 783–795. arXiv:astro-ph/0505560. Bibcode:2005PASP..117..783M. doi:10.1086/432024. S2CID 16972795.
Crouzet, N.; McCullough, P. R.; Long, D.; Rodriguez, P. Montanes; Etangs, A. Lecavelier des; Ribas, I.; Bourrier, V.; Hébrard, G.; Vilardell, F. (February 2017). "Discovery of XO-6b: A Hot Jupiter Transiting a Fast Rotating F5 Star on an Oblique Orbit". The Astronomical Journal. 153 (3): 94. arXiv:1612.02776. Bibcode:2017AJ....153...94C. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/153/3/94. ISSN 1538-3881.
McCullough, P. R.; et al. (2006). "A Transiting Planet of a Sun-like Star". The Astrophysical Journal. 648 (2): 1228–1238. arXiv:astro-ph/0605414. Bibcode:2006ApJ...648.1228M. doi:10.1086/505651. S2CID 8100425.
Burke, Christopher J.; et al. (2007). "XO-2b: Transiting Hot Jupiter in a Metal-rich Common Proper Motion Binary". The Astrophysical Journal. 671 (2): 2115–2128. arXiv:0705.0003. Bibcode:2007ApJ...671.2115B. doi:10.1086/523087. S2CID 13468914.
Johns-Krull, Christopher M.; et al. (2008). "XO-3b: A Massive Planet in an Eccentric Orbit Transiting an F5V Star". The Astrophysical Journal. 677 (1): 657–670. arXiv:0712.4283. Bibcode:2008ApJ...677..657J. doi:10.1086/528950. S2CID 15342571.
McCullough, P. R.; et al. (2008). "XO-4b: An Extrasolar Planet Transiting an F5V Star". arXiv:0805.2921 [astro-ph].
Burke, Christopher J.; et al. (2008). "XO-5b: A Transiting Jupiter-sized Planet with a 4 day Period". The Astrophysical Journal. 686 (2): 1331–1340. arXiv:0805.2399. Bibcode:2008ApJ...686.1331B. doi:10.1086/591497. S2CID 14043772.
Crouzet, N.; et al. (2017). "Discovery of XO-6b: A Hot Jupiter Transiting a Fast Rotating F5 Star on an Oblique Orbit". The Astronomical Journal. 153 (3). 94. arXiv:1612.02776. Bibcode:2017AJ....153...94C. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/153/3/94. S2CID 119082666.

External links

The XO Project website
The XO Project website
Astronomers Catch Planet By Unusual Means (SpaceDaily) May 19, 2006

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[spacedaily-1] Astronomers Catch Planet By Unusual Means, Space Daily

[eurekalert-2] XO-3b: Supersized planet or oasis in the 'brown dwarf desert'?, EurekAlert!

[hubblesite-3] Astronomers Use Innovative Technique to Find Extrasolar Planet, HubbleSite

[McCullough2005-4] McCullough, P. R.; et al. (2005). "The XO Project: Searching for Transiting Extrasolar Planet Candidates". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 117 (834): 783–795. arXiv:astro-ph/0505560. Bibcode:2005PASP..117..783M. doi:10.1086/432024. S2CID 16972795.

[5] Crouzet, N.; McCullough, P. R.; Long, D.; Rodriguez, P. Montanes; Etangs, A. Lecavelier des; Ribas, I.; Bourrier, V.; Hébrard, G.; Vilardell, F. (February 2017). "Discovery of XO-6b: A Hot Jupiter Transiting a Fast Rotating F5 Star on an Oblique Orbit". The Astronomical Journal. 153 (3): 94. arXiv:1612.02776. Bibcode:2017AJ....153...94C. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/153/3/94. ISSN 1538-3881.

[McCullough2006-6] McCullough, P. R.; et al. (2006). "A Transiting Planet of a Sun-like Star". The Astrophysical Journal. 648 (2): 1228–1238. arXiv:astro-ph/0605414. Bibcode:2006ApJ...648.1228M. doi:10.1086/505651. S2CID 8100425.

[Burke2007-7] Burke, Christopher J.; et al. (2007). "XO-2b: Transiting Hot Jupiter in a Metal-rich Common Proper Motion Binary". The Astrophysical Journal. 671 (2): 2115–2128. arXiv:0705.0003. Bibcode:2007ApJ...671.2115B. doi:10.1086/523087. S2CID 13468914.

[Johns-Krull2008-8] Johns-Krull, Christopher M.; et al. (2008). "XO-3b: A Massive Planet in an Eccentric Orbit Transiting an F5V Star". The Astrophysical Journal. 677 (1): 657–670. arXiv:0712.4283. Bibcode:2008ApJ...677..657J. doi:10.1086/528950. S2CID 15342571.

[McCullough2008-9] McCullough, P. R.; et al. (2008). "XO-4b: An Extrasolar Planet Transiting an F5V Star". arXiv:0805.2921 [astro-ph].

[Burke2008-10] Burke, Christopher J.; et al. (2008). "XO-5b: A Transiting Jupiter-sized Planet with a 4 day Period". The Astrophysical Journal. 686 (2): 1331–1340. arXiv:0805.2399. Bibcode:2008ApJ...686.1331B. doi:10.1086/591497. S2CID 14043772.

[Crouzet2017-11] Crouzet, N.; et al. (2017). "Discovery of XO-6b: A Hot Jupiter Transiting a Fast Rotating F5 Star on an Oblique Orbit". The Astronomical Journal. 153 (3). 94. arXiv:1612.02776. Bibcode:2017AJ....153...94C. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/153/3/94. S2CID 119082666.