Eclipse Depth Research Articles

TESS unveils the phase curve of WASP-33b

We present the detection and characterization of the full-orbit phase curve and secondary eclipse of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-33b at optical wavelengths, along with the pulsation spectrum of the host star. We analyzed data collected by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in sector 18. WASP-33b belongs to a very short list of highly irradiated exoplanets that were discovered from the ground and were later visited by TESS. The host star of WASP-33b is of δ Scuti-type and shows nonradial pulsations in the millimagnitude regime, with periods comparable to the period of the primary transit. These completely deform the photometric light curve, which hinders our interpretations. By carrying out a detailed determination of the pulsation spectrum of the host star, we find 29 pulsation frequencies with a signal-to-noise ratio higher than 4. After cleaning the light curve from the stellar pulsations, we confidently report a secondary eclipse depth of 305.8 ± 35.5 parts-per-million (ppm), along with an amplitude of the phase curve of 100.4 ± 13.1 ppm and a corresponding westward offset between the region of maximum brightness and the substellar point of 28.7 ± 7.1 degrees, making WASP-33b one of the few planets with such an offset found so far. Our derived Bond albedo, AB = 0.369 ± 0.050, and heat recirculation efficiency, ɛ = 0.189 ± 0.014, confirm again that he behavior of WASP-33b is similar to that of other hot Jupiters, despite the high irradiation received from its host star. By connecting the amplitude of the phase curve to the primary transit and depths of the secondary eclipse, we determine that the day- and nightside brightness temperatures of WASP-33b are 3014 ± 60 K and 1605 ± 45 K, respectively. From the detection of photometric variations due to gravitational interactions, we estimate a planet mass of MP = 2.81 ± 0.53 MJ. Based on analyzing the stellar pulsations in the frame of the planetary orbit, we find no signals of star-planet interactions.

A transition between the hot and the ultra-hot Jupiter atmospheres

A key hypothesis in the field of exoplanet atmospheres is the trend of atmospheric thermal structure with planetary equilibrium temperature. We explore this trend and report here the first statistical detection of a transition in the near-infrared atmospheric emission between hot and ultra-hot Jupiters. We measure this transition using secondary eclipse observations and interpret this phenomenon as changes in atmospheric properties, and more specifically in terms of transition from non-inverted to inverted thermal profiles. We examine a sample of 78 hot Jupiters with secondary eclipse measurements at 3.6 and 4.5μm measured withSpitzerInfrared Array Camera. We calculate the planetary brightness temperatures using PHOENIX models to correct for the stellar flux. We measure the deviation of the data from the blackbody, which we define as the difference between the observed 4.5μm eclipse depth and that expected at this wavelength based on the brightness temperature measured at 3.6μm. We study how the deviation between 3.6 and 4.5μm changes with theoretical predictions with equilibrium temperature and incoming stellar irradiation. We reveal a clear transition in the observed emission spectra of the hot Jupiter population at 1660 ± 100 K in the zero albedo, full redistribution equilibrium temperature. We find the hotter exoplanets have even hotter daysides at 4.5μm compared to 3.6μm, which manifests as an exponential increase in the emitted power of the planets with stellar insolation. We propose that the measured transition is a result of seeing carbon monoxide in emission due to the formation of temperature inversions in the atmospheres of the hottest planets. These thermal inversions could be caused by the presence of atomic and molecular species with high opacities in the optical and/or the lack of cooling species. Our findings are in remarkable agreement with a new grid of 1D radiative and convective models varying metallicity, carbon to oxygen ratio (C/O), surface gravity, and stellar effective temperature. We find that the population of hot Jupiters statistically disfavors high C/O planets (C/O ≥ 0.85).

Confirmation of water emission in the dayside spectrum of the ultrahot Jupiter WASP-121b

ABSTRACT We present four new secondary eclipse observations for the ultrahot Jupiter WASP-121b acquired using the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3. The eclipse depth is measured to a median precision of 60 ppm across 28 spectroscopic channels spanning the 1.12–$1.64\, \mu {\rm m}$ wavelength range. This is a considerable improvement to the 90 ppm precision we achieved previously for a single eclipse observation using the same observing set-up. Combining these data with those reported at other wavelengths, a blackbody spectrum for WASP-121b is ruled out at >6σ confidence and we confirm the interpretation of previous retrieval analyses that found the data are best explained by a dayside thermal inversion. The updated spectrum clearly resolves the water emission band at 1.3–$1.6\, \mu {\rm m}$, with higher signal-to-noise than before. It also fails to reproduce a bump in the spectrum at $1.25\, \mu {\rm m}$ derived from the first eclipse observation, which had tentatively been attributed to VO emission. We conclude that the latter was either a statistical fluctuation or a systematic artefact specific to the first eclipse data set.

Optical phase curve of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-121b

We present the analysis of TESS optical photometry of WASP-121b, which reveals the phase curve of this transiting ultra-hot Jupiter. Its hotspot is located at the sub-stellar point, showing inefficient heat transport from the dayside (2870 ± 50 K) to the nightside (<2500 K at 3σ) at the altitudes probed by TESS. The TESS eclipse depth, measured at the shortest wavelength to date for WASP-121b, confirms the strong deviation from blackbody planetary emission. Our atmospheric retrieval on the complete emission spectrum supports the presence of a temperature inversion, which can be explained by the presence of VO and possibly TiO and FeH. The strong planetary emission at short wavelengths could arise from an H− continuum.

Smaller than Expected Bright-spot Offsets in Spitzer Phase Curves of the Hot Jupiter Qatar-1b

Abstract We present Spitzer full-orbit thermal phase curves of the hot Jupiter Qatar-1b, a planet with the same equilibrium temperature—and intermediate surface gravity and orbital period—as the well-studied planets HD 209458b and WASP-43b. We measure secondary eclipse depths of 0.21 ± 0.02% at 3.6 μm and 0.30 ± 0.02% at 4.5 μm, corresponding to dayside brightness temperatures of K and K, respectively, consistent with a vertically isothermal dayside. The respective nightside brightness temperatures are and K, in line with a trend that hot Jupiters all have similar nightside temperatures. We infer a Bond albedo of and a moderate day–night heat recirculation efficiency, similar to HD 209458b. General circulation models for HD 209458b and WASP-43b predict that their bright spots should be shifted east of the substellar point by tens of degrees, and these predictions were previously confirmed with Spitzer full-orbit phase curve observations. The phase curves of Qatar-1b are likewise expected to exhibit eastward offsets. Instead, the observed phase curves are consistent with no offset: 11° ± 7° at 3.6 μm and −4° ± 7° at 4.5 μm. The discrepancy in circulation patterns between these three otherwise similar planets points to the importance of secondary parameters like rotation rate and surface gravity, and the presence or absence of clouds, in determining atmospheric conditions on hot Jupiters.

Detection of the phase curve and occultation of WASP-100b with TESS

ABSTRACT We report the detection of the full orbital phase curve and occultation of the hot-Jupiter WASP-100b using TESS photometry. The phase curve is isolated by suppressing low-frequency stellar and instrumental modes using both a non-parametric harmonic notch filter (phasma) and semi-sector long polynomials. This yields a phase-curve signal of (73 ± 9) ppm amplitude, preferred over a null-model by ΔBIC = 25, indicating very strong evidence for an observed effect. We recover the occultation event with a suite of five temporally localized tools, including Gaussian processes and cosine filtering. This allows us to infer an occultation depth of (100 ± 14) ppm, with an additional ±16 ppm systematic error from the differences between methods. We regress a model including atmospheric reflection, emission, ellipsoidal variations, and Doppler beaming to the combined phase-curve and occultation data. This allows us to infer that WASP-100b has a geometric albedo of $A_g = 0.16^{+0.04}_{-0.03}$ in the TESS bandpass, with a maximum dayside brightness temperature of (2710 ± 100) K and a warm nightside temperature of $(2380^{+170}_{-200})$ K. Additionally, we find evidence that WASP-100b has a high thermal redistribution efficiency, manifesting as a substantial eastward hotspot offset of $(71^{+2}_{-4})^{\circ }$. These results present the first measurement of a thermal phase shift among the phase curves observed by TESS so far, and challenge the predicted efficiency of heat transport in the atmospheres of ultra-hot-Jupiters.

From Super-Earths to Mini-Neptunes: Implications of a Surface on Atmospheric Circulation

Abstract It is well known that planets with radii between that of Earth and Neptune have been the most commonly detected to date. To classify these planets as either terrestrial or gaseous, typically we turn to mass–radius relations and composition curves to determine the likelihood of such a planet being rocky or gaseous. While these methods have set a likely transition radius of approximately 1.5 R ⊕, we cannot expect that any change between terrestrial and gaseous compositions will be a sharp cutoff, and composition curve predictions result in ambiguous designations for planets right near this transition radius. In this work, we present 3D general circulation models (GCMs) of transition planets, wherein we study the effects of a surface on observable quantities such as the latitudinal variations and eclipse depths. We present our updated GCM, validated on the circulation of Earth, before discussing our modeling choices for this transition planet. Finally, we discuss the results of this study and explore the prospects of detecting the presence of a surface through observations of secondary eclipses in the future.

Exoplanets in the Antarctic Sky. IV. Dual-band Photometry of Variables Found by the CSTAR-II Commissioning Survey at the North Sky

Abstract From the experiences learned in three decades of exoplanet search, wide-field transit surveys have proven to be one of the most effective ways to detect exoplanets. Wide field of view, however, suffers from high false-positive rates caused by blended eclipsing binaries. The chromaticity in eclipse depth is an effective feature to distinguish low-depth eclipsing binaries from transiting exoplanets, making multiple-band photometry follow-up advantageous before a target is passed onto more expensive spectroscopic follow-up. Moreover, a multiple-band photometric survey is itself a powerful method to find and vet planetary candidates and narrow down the candidate list of high-priority targets. In this work, we report the first results of a dual-band (Sloan-g and -i) wide-field photometry survey—the Chinese Small Telescope ARray II (CSTAR-II), an updated version of the original CSTAR. As a key component of the Chinese Exoplanet Searching Program from Antarctica, CSTAR-II has been tested thoroughly at a remote arctic site near Mohe during the winter of 2014. In total, 13,531 light curves with the best overall photometric precision of ∼3 mmag were extracted from 7721 stars in the Sloan-g and -i bands. Using a robust method, we have detected 63 variables, of which 48 are newly discovered. The dual-band photometric results as well as the stellar properties of the detected sources are provided in this work.

Statistical Characterization of Hot Jupiter Atmospheres Using Spitzer’s Secondary Eclipses

Abstract We report 78 secondary eclipse depths for a sample of 36 transiting hot Jupiters observed at 3.6 and 4.5 μm using the Spitzer Space Telescope. Our eclipse results for 27 of these planets are new, and include highly irradiated worlds such as KELT-7b, WASP-87b, WASP-76b, and WASP-64b, and important targets for James Webb Space Telescope such as WASP-62b. We find that WASP-62b has a slightly eccentric orbit ( ), and we confirm the eccentricity of HAT-P-13b and WASP-14b. The remainder are individually consistent with circular orbits, but we find statistical evidence for eccentricity increasing with orbital period in our range from 1 to 5 days. Our day-side brightness temperatures for the planets yield information on albedo and heat redistribution, following Cowan & Agol (2011). Planets having maximum day-side temperatures exceeding ∼2200 K are consistent with having zero albedo and a distribution of stellar irradiance uniformly over the day-side hemisphere. Our most intriguing result is that we detect a systematic difference between the emergent spectra of these hot Jupiters as compared to blackbodies. The ratio of observed brightness temperatures, Tb(4.5)/Tb(3.6), increases with equilibrium temperature by 100 ± 24 parts-per-million per Kelvin, over the entire temperature range in our sample (800–2500 K). No existing model predicts this trend over such a large range of temperature. We suggest that this may be due to a structural difference in the atmospheric temperature profiles of real planetary atmospheres as compared to models.

TICs 167692429 and 220397947: the first compact hierarchical triple stars discovered with TESS

ABSTRACT We report the discovery and complex analyses of the first two compact hierarchical triple star systems discovered with TESS in or near its southern continuous viewing zone during Year 1. Both TICs 167692429 and 220397947 were previously unknown eclipsing binaries, and the presence of a third companion star was inferred from eclipse timing variations exhibiting signatures of strong third-body perturbations and, in the first system, also from eclipse depth variations. We carried out comprehensive analyses, including the simultaneous photodynamical modelling of TESS and archival ground-based WASP light curves, as well as eclipse timing variation curves. Also, for the first time, we included in the simultaneous fits multiple star spectral energy distribution data and theoretical PARSEC stellar isochrones, taking into account Gaia DR2 parallaxes and catalogued metallicities. We find that both systems have twin F-star binaries and a lower mass tertiary star. In the TIC 167692429 system, the inner binary is moderately inclined (imut = 27°) with respect to the outer orbit, and the binary versus outer (triple) orbital periods are 10.3 versus 331 d, respectively. The mutually inclined orbits cause a driven precession of the binary orbital plane that leads to the disappearance of binary eclipses for long intervals. In the case of TIC 220397947, the two orbital planes are more nearly aligned and the inner versus outer orbital periods are 3.5 and 77 d, respectively. In the absence of radial velocity observations, we were unable to calculate highly accurate masses and ages for the two systems. According to stellar isochrones TIC 167692429 might be either a pre-main sequence (MS) or an older post-MS system. In the case of TIC 220397947, our solution prefers a young pre-MS scenario.

TESS Phase Curve of the Hot Jupiter WASP-19b

Abstract We analyze the phase curve of the short-period transiting hot Jupiter system WASP-19, which was observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in Sector 9. WASP-19 is one of only five transiting exoplanet systems with full-orbit phase curve measurements at both optical and infrared wavelengths. We measure a secondary eclipse depth of ppm and detect a strong atmospheric brightness modulation signal with a semiamplitude of 319 ± 51 ppm. No significant offset is detected between the substellar point and the region of maximum brightness on the dayside. There is also no significant nightside flux detected, which is in agreement with the nightside effective blackbody temperature of derived from the published Spitzer phase curves for this planet. Placing the eclipse depth measured in the TESS bandpass alongside the large body of previous values from the literature, we carry out the first atmospheric retrievals of WASP-19b’s secondary eclipse spectrum using the SCARLET code. The retrieval analysis indicates that WASP-19b has a dayside atmosphere consistent with an isotherm at T = 2240 ± 40 K and a visible geometric albedo of 0.16 ± 0.04, indicating significant contribution from reflected starlight in the TESS bandpass and moderately efficient day–night heat transport.

Kepler-1661 b: A Neptune-sized Kepler Transiting Circumbinary Planet around a Grazing Eclipsing Binary

Abstract We report the discovery of a Neptune-sized ( ) transiting circumbinary planet, Kepler-1661 b, found in the Kepler photometry. The planet has a period of ∼175 days and its orbit precesses with a period of only 35 yr. The precession causes the alignment of the orbital planes to vary, and the planet is in a transiting configuration only ∼7% of the time as seen from Earth. As with several other Kepler circumbinary planets, Kepler-1661 b orbits close to the stability radius, and is near the (hot) edge of the habitable zone. The planet orbits a single-lined, grazing eclipsing binary, containing a 0.84 and 0.26 pair of stars in a mildly eccentric (e = 0.11), 28.2 day orbit. The system is fairly young, with an estimated age of ∼1–3 Gyr, and exhibits significant starspot modulations. The grazing eclipse configuration means the system is very sensitive to changes in the binary inclination, which manifests itself as a change in the eclipse depth. The starspots contaminate the eclipse photometry, but not in the usual way of inducing spurious eclipse timing variations. Rather, the starspots alter the normalization of the light curve, and hence the eclipse depths. This can lead to spurious eclipse depth variations, which are then incorrectly ascribed to binary orbital precession.

Evaluating Climate Variability of the Canonical Hot-Jupiters HD 189733b and HD 209458b through Multi-epoch Eclipse Observations

Abstract Here we present the analysis of multi-epoch secondary eclipse observations of HD 189733b and HD 209458b as a probe of temporal variability in the planetary climate using both Spitzer channels 1 and 2 (3.6 and 4.5 μm). We expect hot-Jupiter atmospheres to be dynamic environments exhibiting time varying weather. However, it is uncertain to what extent temporal variability will be observable when considering disk integrated observations. We do not detect statistically significant variability and are able to place useful upper limits on the infrared variability amplitudes in these atmospheres. There are very few planets with multi-epoch observations at the required precision to probe variability in dayside emission. The observations considered in this study span several years, providing insight into temporal variability at multiple timescales. In the case of HD 189733b, the best-fit eclipse depths for the channel 2 observations exhibit a scatter of 102 ppm about a median depth of 1827 ppm and in channel 1 exhibit a scatter of 88 ppm about a median depth of 1481 ppm. For HD 209458b, the best-fit eclipse depths for the channel 2 observations exhibit a scatter of 22 ppm about a median depth of 1406 ppm, and in channel 1 exhibit a scatter of 131 ppm about a median depth of 1092 ppm. The precision and scatter in these observations allow us to constrain variability to less than (5.6% and 6.0%) and (12% and 1.6%) for channels (1, 2) of HD 189733b and HD 209458b, respectively.

Time-resolved photometry of the young dipper RX J1604.3-2130A

Context. RX J1604.3-2130A is a young, dipper-type, variable star in the Upper Scorpius association, suspected to have an inclined inner disk, with respect to its face-on outer disk. Aims. We aim to study the eclipses to constrain the inner disk properties. Methods. We used time-resolved photometry from the Rapid Eye Mount telescope and Kepler 2 data to study the multi-wavelength variability, and archival optical and infrared data to track accretion, rotation, and changes in disk structure. Results. The observations reveal details of the structure and matter transport through the inner disk. The eclipses show 5 d quasi-periodicity, with the phase drifting in time and some periods showing increased/decreased eclipse depth and frequency. Dips are consistent with extinction by slightly processed dust grains in an inclined, irregularly-shaped inner disk locked to the star through two relatively stable accretion structures. The grains are located near the dust sublimation radius (~0.06 au) at the corotation radius, and can explain the shadows observed in the outer disk. The total mass (gas and dust) required to produce the eclipses and shadows is a few % of a Ceres mass. Such an amount of mass is accreted/replenished by accretion in days to weeks, which explains the variability from period to period. Spitzer and WISE infrared variability reveal variations in the dust content in the innermost disk on a timescale of a few years, which is consistent with small imbalances (compared to the stellar accretion rate) in the matter transport from the outer to the inner disk. A decrease in the accretion rate is observed at the times of less eclipsing variability and low mid-IR fluxes, confirming this picture. The v sin i = 16 km s−1 confirms that the star cannot be aligned with the outer disk, but is likely close to equator-on and to be aligned with the inner disk. This anomalous orientation is a challenge for standard theories of protoplanetary disk formation.

Temporal Variability in Hot Jupiter Atmospheres

Abstract Hot Jupiters receive intense incident stellar light on their daysides, which drives vigorous atmospheric circulation that attempts to erase their large dayside-to-nightside flux contrasts. Propagating waves and instabilities in hot Jupiter atmospheres can cause emergent properties of the atmosphere to be time-variable. In this work, we study such weather in hot Jupiter atmospheres using idealized cloud-free general circulation models with double-gray radiative transfer. We find that hot Jupiter atmospheres can be time-variable at the ∼0.1%–1% level in globally averaged temperature and at the ∼1%–10% level in globally averaged wind speeds. As a result, we find that observable quantities are also time-variable: the secondary eclipse depth can be variable at the ≲2% level, the phase-curve amplitude can change by ≲1%, the phase-curve offset can shift by ≲5°, and terminator-averaged wind speeds can vary by ≲2 km s−1. Additionally, we calculate how the eastern and western limb-averaged wind speeds vary with incident stellar flux and the strength of an imposed drag that parameterizes Lorentz forces in partially ionized atmospheres. We find that the eastern limb is blueshifted in models over a wide range of equilibrium temperature and drag strength, while the western limb is only redshifted if equilibrium temperatures are ≲1500 K and drag is weak. Lastly, we show that temporal variability may be observationally detectable in the infrared through secondary eclipse observations with the James Webb Space Telescope, phase-curve observations with future space telescopes (e.g., ARIEL), and/or Doppler wind speed measurements with high-resolution spectrographs.

Discovery of deep eclipses in the cataclysmic variable IPHAS J013031.89+622132.3

I performed photometric observations of the poorly studied cataclysmic variable IPHAS J013031.89+622132.3 and discovered very deep eclipses. I obtained observations over 14 nights for a total time of 50 hours during a time span of 6 months. Thanks to the long observation interval, I determined the orbital period with high precision, Porb=0.14935014±0.00000020 d. I derived the eclipse ephemeris, which, thanks to the precision of the orbital period, has a formal validity of 300 years. The average eclipse depth was 1.88 ± 0.07 mag. The prominent parts of the eclipses were smooth and symmetrical. The average eclipse width, including extended asymmetric eclipse wings, was 0.18 ± 0.01 phases or 40 ± 2 min. The average orbital light curve did not show a prominent orbital hump. Because no dwarf nova outburst occurred during the 6 months of monitoring, this cataclysmic variable is likely to be a nova-like variable.

Investigating Trends in Atmospheric Compositions of Cool Gas Giant Planets Using Spitzer Secondary Eclipses

Abstract We present new 3.6 and 4.5 μm secondary eclipse measurements for five cool (T ≲ 1000 K) transiting gas giant planets: HAT-P-15b, HAT-P-17b, HAT-P-18b, HAT-P-26b, and WASP-69b. We detect eclipses in at least one bandpass for all planets except HAT-P-15b. We confirm and refine the orbital eccentricity of HAT-P-17b, which is also the only planet in our sample with a known outer companion. We compare our measured eclipse depths in these two bands, which are sensitive to the relative abundances of methane versus carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, respectively, to predictions from 1D atmosphere models for each planet. For planets with hydrogen-dominated atmospheres and equilibrium temperatures cooler than ∼1000 K, this ratio should vary as a function of both atmospheric metallicity and the carbon-to-oxygen ratio. For HAT-P-26b, our observations are in good agreement with the low atmospheric metallicity inferred from transmission spectroscopy. We find that all four of the planets with detected eclipses are best matched by models with relatively efficient circulation of energy to the nightside. We see no evidence for a solar-system-like correlation between planet mass and atmospheric metallicity, but instead identify a potential (1.9σ) correlation between the inferred CH4/(CO + CO2) ratio and stellar metallicity. Our ability to characterize this potential trend is limited by the relatively large uncertainties in the stellar metallicity values. Our observations provide a first look at the brightness of these planets at wavelengths accessible to the James Webb Space Telescope, which will be able to resolve individual CH4, CO, and CO2 bands and provide much stronger constraints on their atmospheric compositions.

Spitzer Phase Curves of KELT-1b and the Signatures of Nightside Clouds in Thermal Phase Observations

Abstract We observed two full orbital phase curves of the transiting brown dwarf KELT-1b, at 3.6 and 4.5 μm, using the Spitzer Space Telescope. Combined with previous eclipse data from Beatty et al., we strongly detect KELT-1b’s phase variation as a single sinusoid in both bands, with amplitudes of 964 ± 36 ppm at 3.6 μm and 979 ± 54 ppm at 4.5 μm, and confirm the secondary eclipse depths measured by Beatty et al. We also measure noticeable eastward hotspot offsets of 28.°4 ± 3.°5 at 3.6 μm and 18.°6 ± 5.°2 at 4.5 μm. Both the day–night temperature contrasts and the hotspot offsets we measure are in line with the trends seen in hot Jupiters, though we disagree with the recent suggestion of an offset trend by Zhang et al. Using an ensemble analysis of Spitzer phase curves, we argue that nightside clouds are playing a noticeable role in modulating the thermal emission from these objects, based on: (1) the lack of a clear trend in phase offsets with equilibrium temperature, (2) the sharp day–night transitions required to have non-negative intensity maps, which also resolves the inversion issues raised by Keating & Cowan, (3) the fact that all the nightsides of these objects appear to be at roughly the same temperature of 1000 K, while the dayside temperatures increase linearly with equilibrium temperature, and (4) the trajectories of these objects on a Spitzer color–magnitude diagram, which suggest colors only explainable via nightside clouds.

Estimating dayside effective temperatures of hot Jupiters and associated uncertainties through Gaussian process regression

ABSTRACT In this work, we outline a new method for estimating dayside effective temperatures of exoplanets and associated uncertainties using Gaussian process (GP) regression. By applying our method to simulated observations, we show that the GP method estimates uncertainty more robustly than other model-independent approaches. We find that unbiased estimates of effective temperatures can be made using as few as three broad-band measurements (white-light HST WFC3 and the two warm Spitzer IRAC channels), although we caution that estimates made using only IRAC can be significantly biased. We then apply our GP method to the 12 hot Jupiters in the literature whose secondary eclipse depths have been measured by WFC3 and IRAC channels 1 and 2: CoRoT-2 b; HAT-P-7 b; HD 189733 b; HD 209458 b; Kepler-13A b; TrES-3 b; WASP-4 b; WASP-12 b; WASP-18 b; WASP-33 b; WASP-43 b; and WASP-103 b. We present model-independent dayside effective temperatures for these planets, with uncertainty estimates that range from ±66 to ±136 K.

First light of engineered diffusers at the Nordic Optical Telescope reveal time variability of the optical eclipse depth of WASP-12b

We present the characterization of two engineered diffusers mounted on the 2.5-meter Nordic Optical Telescope, located at Roque de Los Muchachos, Spain. To assess the reliability and the efficiency of the diffusers, we carried out several test observations of two photometric standard stars, along with observations of one primary transit observation of TrES-3b in the red (R band), one of CoRoT-1b in the blue (B band), and three secondary eclipses of WASP-12b (V band). The achieved photometric precision is in all cases within the submillimagnitude level for exposures between 25 and 180 s. Along with a detailed analysis of the functionality of the diffusers, we add a new transit depth measurement in the blue (B band) to the already observed transmission spectrum of CoRoT-1b, disfavoring a Rayleigh slope. We also report variability of the eclipse depth of WASP-12b in the V band. For the WASP-12b secondary eclipses, we observe a secondary depth deviation of about 5σ, and a difference of 6σ and 2.5σ when compared to the values reported by other authors in a similar wavelength range determined from Hubble Space Telescope data. We further speculate about the potential physical processes or causes responsible for this observed variability.