A Photometric Transit Search for Planets around Cool Stars from the Italian Alps: Results from a Feasibility Study

Abstract

A feasibility study was carried out at the Astronomical Observatory of the Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley demonstrating that it is a well-poised site to conduct an upcoming observing campaign aimed at detecting small-size (R<R_Neptune) transiting planets around nearby cool M dwarf stars. Three known transiting planet systems were monitored from May to August 2009 with a 25 cm f/3.8 Maksutov telescope. We reached seeing-independent, best-case photometric RMS less than 0.003 mag for stars with V<13, with a median RMS of 0.006 mag for the whole observing period.

Two-page contribution to the International Conference "Pathways towards habitable planets" (included 2 eps figures, asp2006.sty, psfig.sty)