Analyzing Transit Timing Variations of Qatar-1b

Volume 50 number 1 (2022)

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Elise Yang
Saint Francis High School, 1885 Miramonte Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94040; elisemkyang@gmail.com
Daniel Mendoza
Saint Francis High School, 1885 Miramonte Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94040; danieldoza2003@gmail.com
Pablo A. Mendoza
University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616; andresdoza.11@gmail.com
Vani Pandian
Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, 715 University Parkway, Natchitoches, LA 71457; vp5564@princeton.edu
Kaushik Tota
Saint Francis High School, 1885 Miramonte Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94040; kaushi.tota@gmail.com
Paige Yeung
Stanford Online High School, 415 Broadway Academy Hall, Floor 2, 8853, Redwood City, CA 94063; paige.yeung@gmail.com

Abstract

This study investigates 13 transits of Qatar-1b from archival data collected using 6-inch telescopes in the MicroObservatory network. The purpose of this transit analysis was to update transit midpoints of Qatar-1b to maintain the ephemeris. Additionally, the study sought to uncover trends in the transit data, which could provide more information about the exoplanet. In order to achieve this goal, the EXOplanet Transit Interpretation Code (EXOTIC) pipeline was used to process these transits and generate light curves, which were contributed to the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) Exoplanet Database. The analysis of the data did not indicate the presence of other planets in the system. This study contributes observations of the star system Qatar-1b and supports the current ephemeris of this planet.