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We homogeneously reanalyse $124$ transit light curves for the WASP-4 b hot Jupiter. This set involved new observations secured in 2019 and nearly all observations mentioned in the literature, including high-accuracy GEMINI/GMOS transmission spectroscopy of 2011-2014 and TESS observations of 2018. The analysis confirmed a nonlinear TTV trend with $P/|\dot P|\sim (17-30)$ Myr (1-sigma range), implying only half of the initial decay rate estimation. The trend significance is at least $3.4$-sigma in the agressively conservative treatment. Possible radial acceleration due to unseen companions is not revealed in Doppler data covering seven years 2007-2014, and radial acceleration of $-15$ m s$^{-1}$yr$^{-1}$ reported in a recent preprint by another team is not confirmed. If present, it is a very nonlinear RV variation. Assuming that the entire TTV is tidal in nature, the tidal quality factor $Q_\star'\sim (4.5-8.5)\cdot 10^4$ does not reveal a convincing disagreement with available theory predictions., Accepted to MNRAS Letters. 5 pages, 1 figure. TTV data files and an online-only PDF supplement are in the download archive

We homogeneously analyse $\sim 3.2\times 10^5$ photometric measurements for $\sim 1100$ transit lightcurves belonging to $17$ exoplanet hosts. The photometric data cover $16$ years 2004--2019 and include amateur and professional observations. Old archival lightcurves were reprocessed using up-to-date exoplanetary parameters and empirically debiased limb-darkening models. We also derive self-consistent transit and radial-velocity fits for $13$ targets. We confirm the nonlinear TTV trend in the WASP-12 data at a high significance, and with a consistent magnitude. However, Doppler data reveal hints of a radial acceleration about $(-7.5\pm 2.2)$~m/s/yr, indicating the presence of unseen distant companions, and suggesting that roughly $10$ per cent of the observed TTV was induced via the light-travel (or Roemer) effect. For WASP-4, a similar TTV trend suspected after the recent TESS observations appears controversial and model-dependent. It is not supported by our homogeneus TTV sample, including $10$ ground-based EXPANSION lightcurves obtained in 2018 simultaneously with TESS. Even if the TTV trend itself does exist in WASP-4, its magnitude and tidal nature are uncertain. Doppler data cannot entirely rule out the Roemer effect induced by possible distant companions., Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures, 6 tables; revised manuscript submitted to MNRAS; online-only supplements are in the download archive

During its four years of photometric observations, the Kepler space telescope detected thousands of exoplanets and exoplanet candidates. One of Kepler's greatest heritages has been the confirmation and characterization of hundreds of multi-planet systems via Transit Timing Variations (TTVs). However, there are many interesting candidate systems displaying TTVs on such long time scales that the existing Kepler observations are of insufficient length to confirm and characterize them by means of this technique. To continue with Kepler's unique work we have organized the "Kepler Object of Interest Network" (KOINet). The goals of KOINet are, among others, to complete the TTV curves of systems where Kepler did not cover the interaction timescales well. KOINet has been operational since March, 2014. Here we show some promising first results obtained from analyzing seven primary transits of KOI-0410.01, KOI-0525.01, KOI-0760.01, and KOI-0902.01 in addition to Kepler data, acquired during the first and second observing seasons of KOINet. While carefully choosing the targets we set demanding constraints about timing precision (at least 1 minute) and photometric precision (as good as 1 part per thousand) that were achieved by means of our observing strategies and data analysis techniques. For KOI-0410.01, new transit data revealed a turn-over of its TTVs. We carried out an in-depth study of the system, that is identified in the NASA's Data Validation Report as false positive. Among others, we investigated a gravitationally-bound hierarchical triple star system, and a planet-star system. While the simultaneous transit fitting of ground and space-based data allowed for a planet solution, we could not fully reject the three-star scenario. New data, already scheduled in the upcoming 2018 observing season, will set tighter constraints on the nature of the system., 22 figures

Astrometric and photometric observations of asteroid (308635) 2005 YU55 were carried out at the computer-aided ZA-320M and MTM-500M telescopes of the Pulkovo observatory in the period of its closest approach to the Earth, from November 9 to 20, 2011. The new orbit of the asteroid changed after its close approach to the Earth was determined. From this orbit, a close approach to Venus on January 19, 2029, was precalculated, and the distance at the closest approach—359000 km—was estimated. From the analysis of the acquired photometric data, the axial rotation period of the asteroid was more accurately determined, and it amounted to 16.3 ± 0.4 h. The color indexes of the asteroid, B-V, V-R, and R-I, were estimated, which allowed the taxonomic class of the asteroid, B, to be determined from them. In addition, from our photometric observations of the asteroid, the earlier unknown change in its brightness with a period of 0.9–1.2 h was detected; the cause of this change has not been completely studied yet.

Exoplanet observations have been performed on the automated Pulkovo Observatory telescopes. We have obtained 33 transit light curves for 16 known exoplanets and six transit observations for three exoplanet candidates discovered by the Kepler telescope. Based on our observations, we have reliably confirmed the existence of an exoplanet with an extremely large radius, Rpl = 1.83 ± 0.16RJup, in the system KOI 256 and detected a strong deviation of its orbital revolution from the theoretically predicted one. During the transit of the exoplanet WASP-12b across the stellar disk, we detected bursts that could be caused by the planet transit across spots on the star or by the presence of a satellite around this exoplanet. We detected possible periodic variations in the duration of the exoplanet transit across the stellar disk with time for HAT-P-12b that could be caused by variations in orbital inclination. The transit duration and depth, the central transit time, and the radius and orbital inclination of the planet have been estimated. The equilibrium temperature and albedo have been estimated for several exoplanets.

One of the goals of the Pulkovo program of research on stars with large proper motions is to reveal among the low-luminosity stars those that have evidence of binarity. Twelve astrometric binary candidates from the Pulkovo list have been included in the program of speckle observations with the BTA telescope at the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SAO RAS) and the 2.5-m telescope at the Caucasus Mountain Observatory (CMO) of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute of the Moscow State University to confirm their binarity and then to determine the parameters of the revealed stellar pairs. The binarity of the brightest of these stars, J1158+4239 (GJ 3697), has been confirmed. Four sessions of speckle observations with the BTA SAO RAS telescope and one session with the 2.5-m CMO telescope have been carried out in 2015 - 2016. The weighted mean estimates of the pair parameters are $\rho$=286.5$\pm$1.2 mas and $\theta$=230.24$\pm$0.16$^{\circ}$ at the epoch B2015.88248. The magnitude difference between the pair stars is $\Delta m$=0.55$\pm$0.03 (a filter with a central wavelength of 800 nm and a FWHM of 100 nm) and $\Delta m$=0.9$\pm$0.1 (an R filter)., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures

We present the first results of our search for transiting exoplanet candidates as part of the Kourovka Planet Search (KPS) project. The primary objective of the project is to search for new hot Jupiters which transit their host stars, mainly in the Galactic plane, in the $R_c$ magnitude range of 11 to 14 mag. Our observations were performed with the telescope of the MASTER robotic network, installed at the Kourovka astronomical observatory of the Ural Federal University (Russia), and the Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph, installed at the private Acton Sky Portal Observatory (USA). As test observations, we observed three celestial fields of size $2\times2$ deg$^2$ during the period from 2012 to 2015. As a result, we discovered four transiting exoplanet candidates among the 39000 stars of the input catalogue. In this paper, we provide the description of the project and analyse additional photometric, spectral, and speckle interferometric observations of the discovered transiting exoplanet candidates. Three of the four transiting exoplanet candidates are most likely astrophysical false positives, while the nature of the fourth (most promising) candidate remains to be ascertained. Also, we propose an alternative observing strategy that could increase the project's exoplanet haul., 11 pages, 16 figures; Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 2016

We perform an analysis of ~80 000 photometric measurements for the following 10 stars hosting transiting planets:WASP-2, -4, -5, -52, Kelt-1, CoRoT-2, XO-2, TrES-1, HD 189733, GJ 436. Our analysis includes mainly transit light curves from the Exoplanet Transit Database, public photometry from the literature, and some proprietary photometry privately supplied by other authors. Half of these light curves were obtained by amateurs. From this photometry we derive 306 transit timing measurements, as well as improved planetary transit parameters. Additionally, for 6 of these 10 stars we present a set of radial velocity measurements obtained from the spectra stored in the HARPS, HARPS-N and SOPHIE archives using the HARPS- TERRA pipeline. Our analysis of these transit timing and radial velocity data did not reveal significant hints of additional orbiting bodies in almost all of the cases. In the WASP-4 case, we found hints of marginally significant TTV signals having amplitude 10-20 s, although their parameters are model dependent and uncertain, while radial velocities did not reveal statistically significant Doppler signals., Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas, Instituto de Astrofísica de La Plata

In this paper we present the orbital elements of Linus satellite of 22 Kalliope asteroid. Orbital element determination is based on the speckle interferometry data obtained with the 6-meter BTA telescope operated by SAO RAS. We processed 9 accurate positions of Linus orbiting around the main component of 22 Kalliope between 10 and 16 December, 2011. In order to determine the orbital elements of the Linus we have applied the direct geometric method. The formal errors are about 5 mas. This accuracy makes it possible to study the variations of the Linus orbital elements influenced by different perturbations over the course of time. Estimates of six classical orbital elements, such as the semi-major axis of the Linus orbit a = 1109 +\- 6 km, eccentricity e = 0.016 +\- 0.004, inclination i = 101{\deg} +\- 1{\deg} to the ecliptic plane and others, are presented in this work.

International audience; In 2009, in five Russian observatories photometric observations of Jupiter's Galilean satellites during their mutual occultations and eclipses were carried out. Based on these observations, an original method was used to ascertain astrometric results such as the difference between the coordinates of pairs of satellites. Fifty-three phenomena were successfully observed. A total of 94 light curves of satellites were measured. The error in the coordinates of satellites due to random errors in photometry, calculated on all data obtained, was 0.041" in right ascension and 0.046" in declination. The discrepancies between the theory and observations in these coordinates was found to be 0.060" and 0.057", respectively. The results were uploaded to the common database for all observations of natural satellites of planets at the Natural Satellites Data Center (NSDC), which is available online at http://www.sai.msu.ru/neb/nss/index.htm . For the first time in the practice of photometric observations of satellites in epochs of mutual occultations and eclipses a new method of observation was tested, which eliminates from astrometric results the major systematic errors caused by an inaccurate account of the background level. The tests were conducted in the Terskol Observatory and the observatory of the Crimean laboratory of the Sternberg State Astronomical Institute of the Moscow State University. The application of the new method showed that the elimination of the background level at these observatories was carried out correctly.

More than 20000 observations of Near Earth asteroids and comets are collected and reduced in Pulkovo Observatory during last 10 years. For observations of these objects two robotic telescopes are used – ZA-320M (Cassegrain system, D = 320 mm, F = 3200 mm) at Pulkovo and MTM-500M (Maksutov – Cassegrain system, D = 500 mm, F = 4100 mm) at Kislovodsk mountain station. These telescopes perform CCD observations of objects up to 18.0 and 20.5 magnitude, correspondingly. The results of observations are regularly submitted to Minor Planet Center.

We announce the discovery of GPX-1 b, a transiting brown dwarf with a mass of $19.7\pm 1.6$ $M_{\mathrm{Jup}}$ and a radius of $1.47\pm0.10$ $R_{\mathrm{Jup}}$, the first sub-stellar object discovered by the Galactic Plane eXoplanet (GPX) survey. The brown dwarf transits a moderately bright ($V$ = 12.3 mag) fast-rotating F-type star with a projected rotational velocity $v\sin{ i_*}=40\pm10$ km/s. We use the isochrone placement algorithm to characterize the host star, which has effective temperature $7000\pm200$ K, mass $1.68\pm0.10$ $M_{\mathrm{Sun}}$, radius $1.56\pm0.10$ $R_{\mathrm{Sun}}$ and approximate age $0.27_{-0.15}^{+0.09}$ Gyr. GPX-1 b has an orbital period of $\sim$1.75 d, and a transit depth of $0.90\pm0.03$ %. We describe the GPX transit detection observations, subsequent photometric and speckle-interferometric follow-up observations, and SOPHIE spectroscopic measurements, which allowed us to establish the presence of a sub-stellar object around the host star. GPX-1 was observed at 30-min integrations by TESS in Sector 18, but the data is affected by blending with a 3.4 mag brighter star 42 arcsec away. GPX-1 b is one of about two dozen transiting brown dwarfs known to date, with a mass close to the theoretical brown dwarf/gas giant planet mass transition boundary. Since GPX-1 is a moderately bright and fast-rotating star, it can be followed-up by the means of Doppler tomography., 13 pages, 13 figures, accepted to MNRAS in May 2021