A search for transiting exoplanets with the VLT: First Results

DÍAZ, R. F.; MINNITI, D.; MAUAS, P.J.D.

Mendoza

Congreso; Boletín de la Asociación Argentina de Astronomía, vol.50, p.19-22; 2007

Asociación Argentina de Astronomía

We present the first results of a photometric search for transiting exoplanets using the Very Large Telescope. The faintest stars in the field for which we obtain precise enough lightcurves (V ≈ 20) are three magnitudes fainter than the typical Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) candidates. The obtained precision should be enough to detect Neptune-sized planets orbiting Sun-like stars or even Super-Earths transiting M-dwarf stars. However, most of the faintest lightcurves are dominated by systematics which must be filtered before any attempt to detect transit-like features.