The Astronomical Journal (Jan 2023)
Searching for Planets Orbiting Fomalhaut with JWST/NIRCam
- Marie Ygouf,
- Charles A. Beichman,
- Jorge Llop-Sayson,
- Geoffrey Bryden,
- Jarron M. Leisenring,
- András Gáspár,
- John E. Krist,
- Marcia J. Rieke,
- George H. Rieke,
- Schuyler Grace Wolff,
- Thomas L. Roellig,
- Kate Su,
- Kevin N. Hainline,
- Klaus W. Hodapp,
- Thomas P. Greene,
- Michael R. Meyer,
- Douglas M. Kelly,
- Karl Misselt,
- John Stansberry,
- Martha Boyer,
- Doug Johnstone,
- Scott Horner,
- Alexandra Z. Greenbaum
Affiliations
- Marie Ygouf
- ORCiD
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91109, USA ; [email protected]
- Charles A. Beichman
- ORCiD
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91109, USA ; [email protected]; NASA Exoplanet Science Institute , IPAC, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Jorge Llop-Sayson
- ORCiD
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91109, USA ; [email protected]; Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Geoffrey Bryden
- ORCiD
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91109, USA ; [email protected]
- Jarron M. Leisenring
- ORCiD
- Steward Observatory and the Department of Astronomy, The University of Arizona , 933 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- András Gáspár
- ORCiD
- Steward Observatory and the Department of Astronomy, The University of Arizona , 933 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- John E. Krist
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91109, USA ; [email protected]
- Marcia J. Rieke
- ORCiD
- Steward Observatory and the Department of Astronomy, The University of Arizona , 933 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- George H. Rieke
- ORCiD
- Steward Observatory and the Department of Astronomy, The University of Arizona , 933 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Schuyler Grace Wolff
- ORCiD
- Steward Observatory and the Department of Astronomy, The University of Arizona , 933 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Thomas L. Roellig
- ORCiD
- NASA Ames Research Center , Space Science and Astrobiology Division, MS 245-6, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
- Kate Su
- ORCiD
- Steward Observatory and the Department of Astronomy, The University of Arizona , 933 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Kevin N. Hainline
- ORCiD
- Steward Observatory and the Department of Astronomy, The University of Arizona , 933 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Klaus W. Hodapp
- ORCiD
- University of Hawaii , Institute for Astronomy, 640 N. A'ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
- Thomas P. Greene
- ORCiD
- NASA Ames Research Center , Space Science and Astrobiology Division, MS 245-6, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
- Michael R. Meyer
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Douglas M. Kelly
- Steward Observatory and the Department of Astronomy, The University of Arizona , 933 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Karl Misselt
- Steward Observatory and the Department of Astronomy, The University of Arizona , 933 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- John Stansberry
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Martha Boyer
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Doug Johnstone
- ORCiD
- NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2E7, Canada; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria , Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
- Scott Horner
- ORCiD
- NASA Ames Research Center , Space Science and Astrobiology Division, MS 245-6, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
- Alexandra Z. Greenbaum
- ORCiD
- IPAC, California Institute of Technology , 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad08c8
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 167,
no. 1
p. 26
Abstract
We report observations with the JWST/NIRCam coronagraph of the Fomalhaut ( α PsA) system. This nearby A star hosts a complex debris disk system discovered by the IRAS satellite. Observations in F444W and F356W filters using the round 430R mask achieve a contrast ratio of ∼4 × 10 ^−7 at 1″ and ∼4 × 10 ^−8 outside of 3″. These observations reach a sensitivity limit of 0.7 mag (Vega) color. Whether this object is a background galaxy, brown dwarf, or a Jovian-mass planet in the Fomalhaut system will be determined by an approved Cycle 2 follow-up program. Finally, we set upper limits to any scattered light from the outer ring, placing a weak limit on the dust albedo at F356W and F444W.
Keywords
- Exoplanets
- High contrast techniques
- Direct imaging
- Coronagraphic imaging
- Circumstellar disks
- Infrared photometry
