SuperWASP

WASP-41b: A Transiting Hot Jupiter Planet Orbiting a Magnetically Active G8V Star

We report the discovery of a transiting planet with an orbital period of 3.05 days orbiting the star TYC 7247-587-1. The star, WASP-41, is a moderately bright G8 V star (V = 11.6) with a metallicity close to solar ([Fe=H] = -0.08 +/- 0.09). The star shows evidence of moderate chromospheric activity, both from emission in the cores of the Ca II H and K ines and photometric variability with a period of 18.4 days and an amplitude of about 1%. We use a new method to show quantitatively that this periodic signal has a low false-alarm probability.

Published in PASP, 2011, 123, 547-554

WASP-39b: a highly inflated Saturn-mass planet orbiting a late G-type star

We present the discovery of WASP-39b, a highly inflated transiting Saturn-mass planet orbiting a late G-type dwarf star with a period of 4.055259 ± 0.000008 d, Transit Epoch T0 = 2455342.9688 ± 0.0002 (HJD), of duration 0.1168 ± 0.0008 d. A combined analysis of the WASP photometry, high-precision follow-up transit photometry, and radial velocities yield a planetary mass of Mpl = 0.28 ± 0.03 MJ and a radius of Rpl = 1.27 ± 0.04 RJ, resulting in a mean density of 0.14 ± 0.02 ρJ.

Accepted by A&A

WASP-35b, WASP-48b and WASP-51b: Two new planets and an independent discovery of HAT-P-30b

We report the detection of WASP-35b, a planet transiting a metal-poor ([Fe/H] = -0.15) star in the Southern hemisphere, WASP-48b, an inflated planet which may have spun-up its slightly evolved host star of 1.75 Rsun in the Northern hemisphere, and the independent discovery of HAT-P-30b / WASP-51b, a new planet in the Northern hemisphere.

submitted to AJ

Title: WASP-23b: a transiting hot Jupiter around a K dwarf and its Rossiter-McLaughlin effect

We report the discovery of a new transiting planet in the Southern Hemisphere. It has been found by the WASP-South transit survey and confirmed photometrically and spectroscopically by the 1.2m Swiss Euler telescope, LCOGT 2m Faulkes South Telescope, the 60 cm TRAPPIST telescope and the ESO 3.6m telescope. The orbital period of the planet is 2.94 days. We find it is a gas giant with a mass of 0.88 +/- 0.10 Mj and a radius estimated at 0.96 +/- 0.05 Rj .
Accepted for A&A

The WASP-South search for transiting exoplanets

Since 2006 WASP-South has been scanning the Southern sky for transiting exoplanets. Combined with Geneva Observatory radial velocities we have so far found over 30 transiting exoplanets around relatively bright stars of magnitude 9--13. We present a status report for this ongoing survey.
To appear in the proceedings of the OHP conference "Detection and dynamics of transiting exoplanets", 23-27th August 2010

WASP-34b: a near-grazing transiting sub-Jupiter-mass exoplanet in a hierarchical triple system

We report the discovery of WASP-34b, a sub-Jupiter-mass exoplanet transiting its 10.4-magnitude solar-type host star (1SWASP J110135.89-235138.4; TYC 6636-540-1) every 4.3177 days in a slightly eccentric orbit (e = 0.038 ± 0.012). We find a planetary mass of 0.59 ± 0.01 MJup and radius of 1.22+0.11−0.08 RJup. There is a linear trend in the radial velocities of 55±4 m s−1 y−1 indicating the presence of a long-period third body in the system with a mass > 0.45 MJup at a distance of > 1.2 AU from the host star.
Accepted by A&A

The first WASP public data release

The WASP (Wide Angle Search for Planets) project is an exoplanet transit survey that has been automatically taking wide field images since 2004. Two instruments, one in La Palma and the other in South Africa, continually monitor the night sky, building up light curves of millions of unique objects. These light curves are used to search for the characteristics of exoplanetary transits. This first public data release (DR1) of the WASP archive makes available all the light curve data and images from 2004 up to 2008 in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
Accepted by A&A

WASP-38b: A 6.87 day period exoplanet transiting a bright F-type star

We report the discovery of WASP-38b, a long period transiting planet in an eccentric 6.871815 day orbit. The transit epoch is 2455335.92050 +/- 0.00074 (HJD) and the transit duration is 4.663 hours. We performed a spectral analysis of the host star HD 146389/BD+10 2980 that yielded Teff = 6150 +/- 80 K, log g=4.3 +/- 0.1, vsini=8.6 +/- 0.4 kms, M* = 1.16 +/- 0.04 Msun and R* =1.36 +/- 0.05 Rsun, consistent with a dwarf of spectral type F8.
Submitted to A&A

WASP-32b: A transiting hot Jupiter planet orbiting a lithium-poor, solar-type star

We report the discovery of a transiting planet orbiting the star TYC 2-1155-1. The star, WASP-32, is a moderately bright (V=11.3) solar-type star (Teff=6100 +- 100K, [Fe/H] = -0.13 +- 0.10). The lightcurve of the star obtained with the WASP-South and WASP-North instruments shows periodic transit-like features with a depth of about 1% and a duration of 0.10d every 2.72d. The presence of a transit-like feature in the lightcurve is confirmed using z-band photometry obtained with Faulkes Telescope North.
Accepted by PASP

WASP-29b: A sub-Saturn transiting exoplanet

We report the discovery of a Saturn-mass planet transiting a V = 11.3 K4 dwarf star every 3.9 d. WASP-29b has a mass of 0.25 MJup and a radius of 0.7–0.8 RJup , making it most similar to the well-studied planet HD 149026b. On a mass–radius plot WASP-29b now marks the lower-left boundary of the known Saturn- and Jupiter-like planets. WASP-29b  appears to have an above-Solar metallicity and fits a previous suggestion that the density of Saturn-mass planets is correlated with their metallicity.
Submitted to ApJL

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