Abstract
The detection of thousands of extrasolar planets by the transit method
naturally raises the question of whether potential extrasolar observers
could detect the transits of the Solar System planets. We present a
comprehensive analysis of the regions in the sky from where transit
events of the Solar System planets can be detected. We specify how many
different Solar System planets can be observed from any given point in
the sky, and find the maximum number to be three. We report the
probabilities of a randomly positioned external observer to be able to
observe single and multiple Solar System planet transits; specifically,
we find a probability of 2.518% to be able to observe at least one
transiting planet, 0.229% for at least two transiting planets, and
0.027% for three transiting planets. We identify 68 known exoplanets
that have a favourable geometric perspective to allow transit detections
in the Solar System and we show how the ongoing K2 mission will extend
this list. We use occurrence rates of exoplanets to estimate that there
are $3.2\pm1.2$ and $6.6^{+1.3}_{-0.8}$ temperate Earth-sized planets
orbiting GK and M dwarf stars brighter than $V=13$ and $V=16$
respectively, that are located in the Earth's transit zone.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 345-354 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |
Volume | 473 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 14 Aug 2017 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 01 Jan 2018 |
Keywords
- Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
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Dive into the research topics of 'Transit Visibility Zones of the Solar System Planets'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Press / Media
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Are we being watched? Tens of other worlds could spot the Earth
Katja Poppenhaeger
08/09/2017
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
Student Theses
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The properties of transiting exoplanets
Author: Wells, R., Jul 2020Supervisor: Watson, C. (Supervisor) & Gibson, N. (Supervisor)
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy
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