Simultaneous Photometry: Vetting Exoplanets via the Transit Method

The transit method of detecting exoplanets involves measuring the decrease in the amount of light coming from a star when the planet passes in front of its host star. Space-based missions such as Kepler record these light curves and catalog new exoplanet candidates. However, these candidates may often be false-positives, such as eclipsing binary (EB) stars. Since EB stars are often composed of different spectral types, the measured transit depth can vary in different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, while planet transits have uniform depth at all wavelengths. This project is to determine the feasibility of making simultaneous photometric measurements in different color filters to identify potential EB false-positives. Using the 12-inch telescopes at the Preston Gott Observatory, we first observe an ideal transit of a confirmed exoplanet and then a known eclipsing binary star. After analyzing the data collected, we present our findings along with our model of the photometric light curves. Simultaneous observations of an exoplanet candidate, while eliminating false-positives in the process, will enable smaller observatories and collegiate institutions to contribute to ongoing efforts to vet potential exoplanet candidates generated by current and future planet surveys.