• About me
  • My Equipment
  • My Images
    • Recent Images
    • First Steps
  • Science Work
    • Exoplanets
    • Supernovae
  • Blog / Stories
  • Contact me
Fabian Rodriguez FRUSTAGLIA Astrophotography
Contact me

Exoplanets

 
In 2018, Richard Tonello (head astronomer at GDC in Gingin, Australia) told me he wanted to record exoplanet transits; I thought 'this would be very difficult to achieve with our equipment' !!!

Early 2021 I found myself trying to image those transits and for my surprise it was something that could be achieved with amateur equipment.  First attempts were analyses through Mathematica software with homemade algorithms, although results were pretty accurate, they're challenging to be interpreted by other people.

During my 2021 summer holidays in Lanzarote, Spain, I'd started the Exoplorer Course by Boyce Astro in order to learn more about exoplanets.  Patrick Boyce put together a great beginners course and introduce me to AstroImageJ software which was developed by MIT-AAVSO guys for NASA missions.
That led my to attend the AAVSO Exoplanets course in November 2021.  Dennis Conti (head of Exoplanet Section at AAVSO) was one of the key speaker and introduce us to the collaboration work that amateurs  can do to help professionals on this field.

In March 2022 I found myself applying to become a member of TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) Sub-Group 1 (SG1).  After the mandatory examination, I'd being accepted as part of the team.  I feel so privileged to be part of the 26 AAVSO's fellows inside the ~300 SG1 members :)
The aim of this group is to produce and analyse ground based images of TESS Objects of Interest in order to confirm or rule out the presence of exoplanets.

I'm very grateful of having this opportunity to directly collaborate with the professional and do real science :) !!!
CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO VIEW IT AT FULL RESOLUTION

Photo
HAT-P36b

Date: 2022.01.17
Images: 262 x 60" Lum
Star coordinates: 12h33m04s; +44d54m55s
Star magnitude: 12.14
Star radius: 1.10 Solar radius
Planet radius: 1.277 Jupiter radius
Transit period: 1.33 days
Transit duration: 2:14 hours
Transit depth: 15.9 ppt (parts per thousand= a drop of the star magnitude of ~1.59%)

Telescope: Meade LX850 12"
Camera: QHY268



Photo
KELT-23Ab

Date: 2021.05.07
Images: 199 x 60" Green
Star coordinates: 15h28m35s; +66d21m31s
Star magnitude: 10.31
Star radius: 1.00 Solar radius
Planet radius: 1.323 Jupiter radius
Transit period: 2.26 days
Transit duration: 2:17 hours
Transit depth: 17.4 ppt​

Telescope: Meade LX850 12"
Camera: QHY268



Photo
TrES-2b

Date: 2021.06.29
Images: 192 x 60" Green
Star coordinates: 19h07m14s; +49d18m59s
Star magnitude: 11.25
Star radius: 1.06 Solar radius
Planet radius: 1.36 Jupiter radius
Transit period: 2.47 days
Transit duration: 1:52 hours
Transit depth: 14.2 ppt​

Telescope: Meade LX850 12"
Camera: QHY268



Photo
WASP-2b

Date: 2021.09.04
Images: 242 x 60" Green
Star coordinates: 20h30m54s; +06d25m46s
Star magnitude: 11.73
Star radius: 0.84 Solar radius
Planet radius: 1.081 Jupiter radius
Transit period: 2.15 days
Transit duration: 1:47 hours
Transit depth: 16.5 ppt​

Telescope: Meade LX850 12"
Camera: QHY268



Photo
WASP-104b

Date: 2022.02.22
Images: 225 x 50" Lum
Star coordinates: 10h42m24s; +07d26m06s
Star magnitude: 11.78
Star radius: 0.96 Solar radius
Planet radius: 1.137 Jupiter radius
Transit period: 1.76 days
Transit duration: 1:46 hours
Transit depth: 14.7 ppt​

Telescope: Meade LX850 12"
Camera: QHY268



Proudly powered by Weebly