REM ROBOTIC OBSERVATIONS TO INVESTIGATE SPOT-INDUCED AGAINST PLANETARY TRANSIT-INDUCED BRIGHTNESS VARIATIONS

摘要

Late-type stars show intrinsic quasi-periodic as well as random brightness variability of magnetic origin. Such variability, which in slow rotating stars as the Sun has magnitude comparable to that induced by planetary transits, is larger by orders of magnitude in young and rapidly rotating stars, thus seriously affecting any planetary transit detection. A good knowledge of the characteristics of this magnetically induced variability and of its dependence of global stellar properties such as mass, rotation, age, is needed to disentangle planetary transits from magnetic activity effects. Robotic telescopes, as REM (Rapid Eye Mount telescope), are particularly well suited to characterise such magnetic activity and can play a key role in the ground based support to space-based exo-planet search missions such as Eddington.