Detection and characterization of transiting exoplanet TrES-5 b

The field of exoplanetary science is growing rapidly and more than fifteen hundred exoplanets have been confirmed to this day. Most of these planets have been found through the detection of planetary transits and to use this method for finding extrasolar planets was the main focus of the project. From the beginning the goal and purpose for the thesis work was twofold: To learn how to use the Westerlund telescope for detecting and characterizing transiting extrasolar planets. Thereafter trying to detect and confirm a transiting planet which earlier only had been detected with radial velocity measurements. Unfortunately bad weather postponed the initial observations to the point that the latter part hade to be canceled. Instead a more theoretical alternative was chosen. A study on the probabilities for RV planets to transit, based on of the paper “A Posteriori Transit Probabilities” (2013) by Stevens and Gaudi. Observations where performed at two nights in March which resulted in one detected planetary transit. Using the obtained data from the observation certain properties of the planetary system was calculated and compared with the work of Mandushev et al. The results were surprisingly comparable and expected to be even more similar if one would add the effect of limb darkening.