Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope

Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope
Alternative names	KELT
	[ edit on Wikidata]

Last updated November 29, 2023

The Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (or KELT) is an astronomical observation system formed by two robotic telescopes that are conducting a survey for transiting exoplanets around bright stars. The project is jointly administered by members of Ohio State University Department of Astronomy,^[1] the Vanderbilt University Department of Physics and Astronomy^[2] Astronomy Group,^[3] the Lehigh University Department of Physics,^[4] and the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO).^[5]

KELT Telescopes

KELT consists of two telescopes, KELT-North^[6] in Arizona in the United States, and KELT-South^[7] at the SAAO observing station near Sutherland, South Africa.

Each KELT telescope consists of a wide field (26 degrees × 26 degrees) medium format telephoto lens with a 4.2 cm aperture, mounted in front of a 4k × 4k Apogee CCD. Each can also be equipped with an alternative narrower field (10.8 degrees × 10.8 degrees) lens with a 7.1 cm aperture for a narrow angle campaign mode. KELT-North uses an Apogee AP16E camera, while KELT South uses an Apogee U16M. The optical assemblies and cameras are mounted on Paramount ME^[8] mounts manufactured by Software Bisque.^[9] The telescopes were made with off-the-shelf components, and were thus much cheaper than many observatories.^[10]

KELT-North is located at Winer Observatory in southeastern Arizona, about an hour's drive from Tucson. KELT-North was installed at Winer in 2005, and operated continuously until 2022, with occasional interruptions for equipment failures and poor weather. KELT-North was decommissioned in 2022.

KELT-South is located at the Sutherland astronomical observation station owned and operated by SAAO, about 370 kilometers (230 mi) North of Cape Town. KELT-South was deployed at Sutherland in 2009.

Goals

KELT is dedicated to discovering transiting exoplanets orbiting stars in the apparent magnitude range of 8 < V < 10. This is the region just fainter than the set of stars comprehensively surveyed for planets by the radial-velocity surveys, but brighter than those typically observed by most transit surveys.

Operations

Both KELT telescopes operate by sequentially observing a series of predefined fields around the sky all night, every night when the weather is good. All recordings are made with 150-second exposures, optimized to observe stars in the target magnitude range.

Discoveries

KELT has made several exoplanet discoveries and at least one brown dwarf (which may be an extremely massive Super-Jupiter instead) to date. Yellow rows in the table below indicate the planet is contained in a binary system.

Exoplanets

Star	Constellation	Right ascension	Declination	App. mag.	Distance (ly)	Spectral type	Planet	Mass (M_J)	Radius (R_J)	Density (g/cm³)	Orbital period (d)	Semimajor axis (AU)	Orbital eccentricity	Inclination (°)	Discovery year
KELT-2A	Auriga	06^h 10^m 39^s	+30° 57′ 26″	8.77	420	F7V	KELT-2Ab	1.486	1.306		4.11379	0.05498	0.0	88.5	2012
KELT-3	Leo	09^h 54^m 34.0^s	+30° 38′ 24″	9.8	580	F6V	KELT-3b	1.418	1.333	0.75	2.70339	0.04117	0.0	84.32	2012
KELT-4A	Leo	10^h 28^m 15.011^s	+25° 34′ 23.5″	9.98	685	F8V	KELT-4Ab	0.878	1.706		2.9895933	0.04321	0.0	83.11	2015
KELT-6	Coma Berenices	13^h 03^m 56^s	+30° 38′ 24″	10.38	724	F8IV	KELT-6b	0.43	1.19	0.311	7.84563	0.079	0.22 ^+0.12 _−0.10	88.81	2013
KELT-6	Coma Berenices	13^h 03^m 56^s	+30° 38′ 24″	10.38	724	F8IV	KELT-6c	3.71	1.16		1,276	2.39	0.21		2015
KELT-7	Auriga	05^h 13^m 11^s	+33° 19′ 05″	8.54	420	F2V	KELT-7b	1.28	1.533	0.442	2.7347749	0.04415	0.0	83.76	2015
KELT-8	Hercules	18^h 53^m 13.31^s	24° 07′ 38.09″	10.85	664	G2V	KELT-8b	0.66	1.62	0.165	3.24	0.04550	0.04±0.05	82.65±0.90	2015
KELT-9	Cygnus	20^h 31^m 27^s	+39° 56′ 20″	7.56	620	B9.5V	KELT-9b								2015
KELT-10	Telescopium	18^h 58^m 11.61^s	−47° 00′ 11.91″	10.62	614	G0V	KELT-10b	0.68	1.4	0.308	4.17	0.05250	0?	88.61	2015
KELT-11	Sextans	10^h 46^m 49.66^s	−09° 23′ 57.71″	8.04	323	G8/K0IV	KELT-11b	0.171	1.35	0.009	4.74	0.06±0.005	0.0007±0.0015	85.3±0.2	2017
KELT-12	Hercules	17^h 50^m 33.72^s	+36° 34′ 12.63″	10.59	1200	F7III-IV	KELT-12b	0.95	1.78	0.209	5.03	0.06708	0.0	84.47±0.15	2017
KELT-13/WASP-167	Centaurus	13^h 04^m 10.51^s	−35° 32′ 58.31″	10.571	1381	F1V	KELT-13/WASP-167b	<8	1.58		2.02	0.0365		79.9	2017
KELT-14/WASP-122	Puppis	7^h 13^m 12.34^s	−42° 24′ 35.14″	11	816	G2V	KELT-14/WASP-122b	1.284	1.743	0.322	1.71	0.03	0.0	78.3	2016
KELT-15	Carina	07^h 49^m 39.59^s	−52° 07′ 13.57″	11.39	1,068	G0V	KELT-15Ab	0.91	1.443	0.36	3.33	0.04	0	88.3	2015
KELT-16	Cygnus	20^h 57^m 04.44^s	+31° 39′ 39.63″	11.72	1,469	F7V	KELT-16Ab ^[11]	2.75	1.415	1.20 ± 0.18	0.97	0.02	0	84.4	2017
KELT-17	Cancer	8^h 22^m 28.20^s	+13° 44′ 07.14″	9.23	743	A7V	KELT-17b	1.32	1.525	0.46	3.08	0.05		84.87	2016
KELT-18	Ursa Major	14^h 26^m 05.76^s	+59° 26′ 39.29″	10.16	1,057	F4V	KELT-18Ab ^[12]	1.18	1.57	0.377	2.87	0.04	0	82.90	2017
KELT-19	Canis Minor	07^h 26^m 02.29^s	+07° 36′ 56.18″	9.86	987	A8V	KELT-19Ab	<4.07	1.91	<0.744	4.61	0.064		85.14	2017
KELT-20	Cygnus	19^h 38^m 38.74^s	+31° 31′ 09.22″	7.58	446	A2V	KELT-20b	<3.382	1.741	<0.806	3.474	0.05	0?	86.12	2017
KELT-21	Cygnus	20^h 19^m 12.00^s	+32° 34′ 51.76″	10.48	1,556	A6V	KELT-21b	<3.91	1.586	<1.24	3.612	0.05	0	86.46	2018
KELT-22/WASP-173	Sculptor	23^h 36^m 40.38^s	−34° 36′ 42.68″	11.3	766	G3V	KELT-22/WASP-173Ab	3.47	1.285	2.02	1.386	0.02	0	85.2	2018
KELT-23	Ursa Minor	15^h 28^m 35.19^s	+66° 21′ 31.54″	10.31	413	G1V	KELT-23b	0.94	1.32	0.503	2.26	0.03	0	85.37	2019
KELT-24	Ursa Major	10^h 47^m 38.35^s	+71° 39′ 21.16″	8.33	316	F5.5V	KELT-24b	5.18	1.27	3.13	5.55	0.07	0.08	89.17	2019
KELT-25	Canis Major	07^h 12^m 29.55^s	−24° 57′ 12.82″	9.63	1,443	A4V
KELT-26/WASP-178	Lupus	15^h 09^m 04.89^s	−42° 42′ 17.79″	9.95	1,410	A1V	KELT-26/WASP-178b	1.41	1.94	0.238	3.35	0.06	0	84.45	2019

Brown dwarfs

In addition, the survey has discovered brown dwarfs like KELT-1b.

Star	Constellation	Right ascension	Declination	App. mag.	Distance (ly)	Spectral type	Planet	Mass (M_J)	Radius (R_J)	Density (g/cm³)	Orbital period (d)	Semimajor axis (AU)	Orbital eccentricity	Inclination (°)	Discovery year
KELT-1	Andromeda	00^h 01^m 26.92^s	+39° 23′ 01.7″	10.00	854	F5V	KELT-1b	27.23	1.110		1.217513	0.0247	0.0	87.80

Related Research Articles

In astronomy, a transit is the passage of a celestial body directly between a larger body and the observer. As viewed from a particular vantage point, the transiting body appears to move across the face of the larger body, covering a small portion of it.

South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) is the national centre for optical and infrared astronomy in South Africa. It was established in 1972. The observatory is run by the National Research Foundation of South Africa. The facility's function is to conduct research in astronomy and astrophysics. The primary telescopes are located in Sutherland, which is 370 kilometres (230 mi) from Observatory, Cape Town, where the headquarters is located.

HD 118203 b, formally named Staburags, is a jovian planet that takes only 6.13 days or 147 hours to orbit the parent star HD 118203 at a distance of 0.07 astronomical units. The exact mass was not known since inclination was not known until TESS detected the planet. This hot Jupiter is unusual since it has relatively high eccentricity of 0.31.

HD 82886 is an evolved subgiant star in the constellation Leo Minor. With an apparent magnitude 7.63, it is too faint to be seen with the unaided eye.

KELT-11b is an exoplanet orbiting around the yellow subgiant star KELT-11 about 320 light-years away from Earth. It is an inflated planet, one of the "puffiest planets" known, as a result of its close orbiting distance with its parent star. It has a radius 1.37 times that of Jupiter, but only 19% of its mass. It was discovered in 2016.

KELT-9b is an exoplanet and ultra-hot Jupiter that orbits the late B-type/early A-type star KELT-9, located about 670 light-years from Earth. Detected using the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope, the discovery of KELT-9b was announced in 2016. As of October 2022, it is the hottest known exoplanet.

KELT-18b is a hot Jupiter orbiting the F-type main sequence star KELT-18 approximately 1,058 light years away in the northern circumpolar constellation Ursa Major. The planet was discovered using the transit method, and was announced in June 2017.

Denise C. Nuttall Stephens is an associate professor of astronomy in the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Brigham Young University.

KELT-21b is an extrasolar planet discovered in 2017. It is a hot Jupiter with radius of about 1.586 M_J.

KELT-1 is a F-type main-sequence star. Its surface temperature is 6518±50 K. It is similar to the Sun in its concentration of heavy elements, with a metallicity Fe/H index of 0.008±0.073, but is much younger at an age of 1.75±0.25 billion years. The star is rotating very rapidly.

KELT-10b is an exoplanet orbiting the G-type main-sequence star KELT-10 approximately 618 light-years away in the southern constellation Telescopium. It was discovered using the transit method, and was announced in 2016.

KELT-3 is a star in the zodiac constellation Leo. With an apparent magnitude of 9.82, it is too faint to be seen with the naked eye, but can be detected using a telescope. It is currently located around 690 light years away, based on parallax measurements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KELT-3b</span> Exoplanet orbiting KELT-3

KELT-3b is an extrasolar planet orbiting the F-type main-sequence star KELT-3 690 light years in the zodiac constellation Leo. It was discovered in 2013 by KELT's telescope in Arizona.

KELT-6, also known as BD+31 2447, is a star in the constellation Coma Berenices. With an apparent magnitude of 10.34, it is impossible to see with the unaided eye, but can be seen with a powerful telescope. The star is located 791 light years away from the Solar System based on parallax, but is drifting away with a radial velocity of 1.62 km/s.

KELT-6b is an exoplanet orbiting the F-type subgiant KELT-6 approximately 791 light years away in the northern constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered in 2013 using the transit method, and was announced in 2014.

CD−34°8618, also known as KELT-13 or WASP-167, is a yellowish-white hued star located in the southern constellation of Centaurus. It has an apparent magnitude of 10.52, making it readily visible in medium sized telescopes, but not to the naked eye. Based on parallax measurements from the Gaia spacecraft, the object is estimated to be approximately 1,350 light years away from the Solar System. It appears to be drifting closer to it, having a radial velocity of −0.53 km/s.

KELT-24 is a single star in the constellation Ursa Major at a distance of approximately 316 light-years from Sun. The apparent magnitude of the star is +8.33^m. The star's age is estimated to be about 1.6 billion years. As an F-type main-sequence star, it is similar to the Sun, but slightly hotter and more luminous.

References

↑ "The Ohio State University Department of Astronomy".
↑ "Vanderbilt Department of Physics and Astronomy". Archived from the original on 2012-06-16. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
↑ "Vanderbilt Astronomy Group".
↑ "The Lehigh Department of Physics".
↑ "South African Astronomical Observatory".
↑ Pepper, Joshua; et al. (2007). "The Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT): A Small Robotic Telescope for Large-Area Synoptic Surveys". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 119 (858): 923–935. arXiv: 0704.0460 . Bibcode:2007PASP..119..923P. doi:10.1086/521836. S2CID 13967723.
↑ Pepper; et al. (2012). "The KELT-South Telescope". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 124 (913): 230–241. arXiv: 1202.1826 . Bibcode:2012PASP..124..230P. doi:10.1086/665044. S2CID 119207060.
↑ "Paramount ME". Archived from the original on 2012-07-02.
↑ "Software Bisque company page".
↑ Sample, Ian (2017-06-05). "Kelt-9b: astronomers discover hottest known giant planet". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-11-28.
↑ Oberst, Thomas E.; Rodriguez, Joseph E.; Colón, Knicole D.; Angerhausen, Daniel; Bieryla, Allyson; Ngo, Henry; Stevens, Daniel J.; Stassun, Keivan G.; Gaudi, B. Scott; Pepper, Joshua; Penev, Kaloyan; Mawet, Dimitri; Latham, David W.; Heintz, Tyler M.; Osei, Baffour W.; Collins, Karen A.; Kielkopf, John F.; Visgaitis, Tiffany; Reed, Phillip A.; Escamilla, Alejandra; Yazdi, Sormeh; McLeod, Kim K.; Lunsford, Leanne T.; Spencer, Michelle; Joner, Michael D.; Gregorio, Joao; Gaillard, Clement; Matt, Kyle; Dumont, Mary Thea; et al. (2017). "KELT-16b: A Highly Irradiated, Ultra-short Period Hot Jupiter Nearing Tidal Disruption". The Astronomical Journal. 153 (3): 97. arXiv: 1608.00618 . Bibcode:2017AJ....153...97O. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/153/3/97. S2CID 42949556.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
↑ McLeod, Kim K.; Rodriguez, Joseph E.; Oelkers, Ryan J.; Collins, Karen A.; Bieryla, Allyson; Fulton, Benjamin J.; Stassun, Keivan G.; Gaudi, B. Scott; Penev, Kaloyan; Stevens, Daniel J.; Colón, Knicole D.; Pepper, Joshua; Narita, Norio; Tsuguru, Ryu; Fukui, Akihiko; Reed, Phillip A.; Tirrell, Bethany; Visgaitis, Tiffany; Kielkopf, John F.; Cohen, David H.; Jensen, Eric L. N.; Gregorio, Joao; Baştürk, Özgür; Oberst, Thomas E.; Melton, Casey; Kempton, Eliza M.-R.; Baldrige, Andrew; Zhao, Y. Sunny; Zambelli, Roberto; et al. (2017). "KELT-18b: Puffy Planet, Hot Host, Probably Perturbed". The Astronomical Journal. 153 (6): 263. arXiv: 1702.01657 . Bibcode:2017AJ....153..263M. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa6d5d. S2CID 54667386.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)

External links

KELT-North survey website Archived 2019-01-24 at the Wayback Machine
KELT-South survey website

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[1] "The Ohio State University Department of Astronomy".

[2] "Vanderbilt Department of Physics and Astronomy". Archived from the original on 2012-06-16. Retrieved 2012-06-12.

[3] "Vanderbilt Astronomy Group".

[4] "The Lehigh Department of Physics".

[5] "South African Astronomical Observatory".

[6] Pepper, Joshua; et al. (2007). "The Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT): A Small Robotic Telescope for Large-Area Synoptic Surveys". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 119 (858): 923–935. arXiv: 0704.0460 . Bibcode:2007PASP..119..923P. doi:10.1086/521836. S2CID 13967723.

[7] Pepper; et al. (2012). "The KELT-South Telescope". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 124 (913): 230–241. arXiv: 1202.1826 . Bibcode:2012PASP..124..230P. doi:10.1086/665044. S2CID 119207060.

[8] "Paramount ME". Archived from the original on 2012-07-02.

[9] "Software Bisque company page".

[10] Sample, Ian (2017-06-05). "Kelt-9b: astronomers discover hottest known giant planet". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-11-28.

[11] Oberst, Thomas E.; Rodriguez, Joseph E.; Colón, Knicole D.; Angerhausen, Daniel; Bieryla, Allyson; Ngo, Henry; Stevens, Daniel J.; Stassun, Keivan G.; Gaudi, B. Scott; Pepper, Joshua; Penev, Kaloyan; Mawet, Dimitri; Latham, David W.; Heintz, Tyler M.; Osei, Baffour W.; Collins, Karen A.; Kielkopf, John F.; Visgaitis, Tiffany; Reed, Phillip A.; Escamilla, Alejandra; Yazdi, Sormeh; McLeod, Kim K.; Lunsford, Leanne T.; Spencer, Michelle; Joner, Michael D.; Gregorio, Joao; Gaillard, Clement; Matt, Kyle; Dumont, Mary Thea; et al. (2017). "KELT-16b: A Highly Irradiated, Ultra-short Period Hot Jupiter Nearing Tidal Disruption". The Astronomical Journal. 153 (3): 97. arXiv: 1608.00618 . Bibcode:2017AJ....153...97O. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/153/3/97. S2CID 42949556.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)

[12] McLeod, Kim K.; Rodriguez, Joseph E.; Oelkers, Ryan J.; Collins, Karen A.; Bieryla, Allyson; Fulton, Benjamin J.; Stassun, Keivan G.; Gaudi, B. Scott; Penev, Kaloyan; Stevens, Daniel J.; Colón, Knicole D.; Pepper, Joshua; Narita, Norio; Tsuguru, Ryu; Fukui, Akihiko; Reed, Phillip A.; Tirrell, Bethany; Visgaitis, Tiffany; Kielkopf, John F.; Cohen, David H.; Jensen, Eric L. N.; Gregorio, Joao; Baştürk, Özgür; Oberst, Thomas E.; Melton, Casey; Kempton, Eliza M.-R.; Baldrige, Andrew; Zhao, Y. Sunny; Zambelli, Roberto; et al. (2017). "KELT-18b: Puffy Planet, Hot Host, Probably Perturbed". The Astronomical Journal. 153 (6): 263. arXiv: 1702.01657 . Bibcode:2017AJ....153..263M. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa6d5d. S2CID 54667386.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)

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