Observing and analysing potential Ariel targets for transit variations

This project used ground based telescopes to observe three exoplanets, namely WASP-14b, TOI-3884b and TOI-3912b. The observation data was compared with existing literature and found Transit Timing Variations (TTV) for all three targets. The project objectives included inferring possible reasons for the TTV and what impact they may have on observations by the upcoming Ariel space based telescope mission. The targets were selected based on literature from the Ariel mission and data from the ExoWorlds Spies website, the selection process was designed to select high priority targets which are known to be potential Ariel mission targets which haven’t been observed recently and have little coverage in existing literature. Due to technical problems and bad weather the initial target observations were unsuccessful and a third medium target was selected for subsequent observations. Observations were performed remotely using COAST a 17 inch telescope using a charged-coupled device (CCD) camera with a R band filter hosted by the Open Science Observatories (OSO). Seven observations were completed between March and June 2024, these were submitted to the ExoClock project which serves as a database to aid the Ariel mission in target selection and timing. The collected data was analysed and compared with other observations from the ExoClock databases as well as from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) projects. The resulting analysis shows that all three targets have TTV which could impact the Ariel mission’s target selection and timing, the analysis agrees with existing literature in that the WASP-14 system has a third body and that the TOI-3884 star has solar activity effecting the detected flux. The project concludes that further observations of all three targets over an extended period is warranted with the possible use of larger telescopes for TOI-3884b.