Confirmation of TESS Hot Jupiters at the UNG Observatory

In 1995, the first planet found outside of our solar system next to a sun-like star was discovered. This planet was similar to Jupiter in size and makeup, but, unlike Jupiter, it was found at a distance similar to Mercury. Theories on planet formation cannot explain how these “hot Jupiters” came to exist. Multiple hypotheses have been proposed, but more examples of hot Jupiters are needed to distinguish between them. We are studying two candidate hot Jupiters around the stars TOI-1684 and TOI-2024 that were identified by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Using the CDK 600 and CDK 700 telescopes at the UNG Observatory, we are gathering photometric and spectroscopic data to confirm planetary transits and measure radial velocities. In this talk, I will be explaining the process of identifying and confirming candidate hot Jupiters, and highlighting the progress we’ve made at the UNG Observatory detecting the presence of a hot Jupiter around the aforementioned stars. The results of our work will contribute to a better understanding of hot Jupiters and help uncover the mystery of how these unusual planets form.