Hubbry Logo
Wide Angle Search for PlanetsWide Angle Search for PlanetsMain
Open search
Wide Angle Search for Planets
Community hub
Wide Angle Search for Planets
logo
8 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Wide Angle Search for Planets
Wide Angle Search for Planets
Wide Angle Search for Planets
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

WASP or Wide Angle Search for Planets is an international consortium of several academic organisations performing an ultra-wide angle search for exoplanets using transit photometry. The array of robotic telescopes aims to survey the entire sky, simultaneously monitoring many thousands of stars at an apparent visual magnitude from about 7 to 13.[1]

Key Information

WASP is the detection program composed of the Isaac Newton Group, IAC and six universities from the United Kingdom. The two continuously operating, robotic observatories cover the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, respectively. SuperWASP-North is at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the mountain of that name which dominates La Palma in the Canary Islands. WASP-South is at the South African Astronomical Observatory, Sutherland in the arid Roggeveld Mountains of South Africa. These use eight wide-angle cameras that simultaneously monitor the sky for planetary transit events and allow the monitoring of millions of stars simultaneously, enabling the detection of rare transit events.[2]

Instruments used for follow-up characterization employing doppler spectroscopy to determine the exoplanet's mass include the HARPS spectrograph of ESO's 3.6-metre telescope as well as the Swiss Euler Telescope, both located at La Silla Observatory, Chile.[3] WASP's design has also been adopted by the Next-Generation Transit Survey.[4] As of 2016, the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia data base contains a total of 2,107 extrasolar planets of which 118 were discoveries by WASP.[5]

Equipment

[edit]

WASP consists of two robotic observatories; SuperWASP-North at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the island of La Palma in the Canaries and WASP-South at the South African Astronomical Observatory, South Africa. Each observatory consists of an array of eight Canon 200 mm f1.8 lenses backed by high quality 2048 × 2048 science-grade CCDs, the model used is the iKon-L[6] manufactured by Andor Technology.[7] The telescopes are mounted on an equatorial telescope mount built by Optical Mechanics, Inc.[8] The large field of view of the Canon lenses gives each observatory a massive sky coverage of 490 square degrees per pointing.[9]

Function

[edit]

The observatories continuously monitor the sky, taking a set of images approximately once per minute, gathering up to 100 gigabytes of data per night. By using the transit method, data collected from WASP can be used to measure the brightness of each star in each image, and small dips in brightness caused by large planets passing in front of their parent stars can be searched for.

One of the main purpose of WASP was to revolutionize the understanding of planet formation, paving the way for future space missions searching for 'Earth'-like worlds.

Structure

[edit]

WASP is operated by a consortium of academic institutions which include:

WASP-39b and its parent star (artist's impression).[10]

On 26 September 2006, the team reported the discovery of two extrasolar planets: WASP-1b (orbiting at 0.038 AU (6 million km) from star once every 2.5 days) and WASP-2b (orbiting three-quarters that radius once every 2 days).[11]

On 31 October 2007, the team reported the discovery of three extrasolar planets: WASP-3b, WASP-4b and WASP-5b. All three planets are similar to Jovian mass and are so close to their respective stars that their orbital periods are all less than two days. These are among the shortest orbital periods discovered. The surface temperatures of the planets should be more than 2000 degrees Celsius, owing to their short distances from their respective stars. The WASP‑4b and WASP-5b are the first planets discovered by the cameras and researchers in South Africa. WASP-3b is the third planet discovered by the equivalent in La Palma.

In August 2009, the discovery of WASP-17b was announced, believed to be the first planet ever discovered to orbit in the opposite direction to the spin of its star, WASP-17.

Discoveries and follow-up observations

[edit]

Exoplanets

[edit]
Star Constellation Right
ascension 		Declination App.
mag. 		Distance (ly) Spectral
type 		Planet Mass
(MJ) 		Radius
(RJ) 		Orbital
period
(d) 		Semimajor
axis
(AU) 		Orbital
eccentricity 		Inclination
(°) 		Discovery
year
WASP-1 Andromeda 00h 20m 40s +31° 59′ 24″ 11.79 1031 F7V b 0.86 1.484 2.5199464 0.0382 0 88.65 2006
WASP-2 Delphinus 20h 30m 54s +06° 25′ 46″ 11.98 493 K1V b 0.847 1.079 2.15222144 0.03138 0 84.73 2006
WASP-3 Lyra 18h 33m 32s +35° 39′ 42″ 10.64 727 F7V b 2.06 1.454 1.8468372 0.0313 0 85.06 2007
WASP-4 Phoenix 23h 34m 15s −42° 03′ 41″ 12.6 851 G7V b 1.1215 1.363 1.33823187 0.02312 0 88.8 2007
WASP-5 Phoenix 23h 57m 24s −41° 16′ 38″ 12.26 967 G4V b 1.58 1.09 1.6284296 0.02683 0 85.8 2007
Márohu Aquarius 23h 12m 37s −22° 40′ 06″ 12.4 1001 G8V Boinayel 0.5 1.3 3.36 0.0269 0.054 88.47 2008
WASP-7 Microscopium 20h 44m 10s −39° 13′ 31″ 9.51 460 F5V b 0.96 0.915 4.954658 0.0618 0 89.6 2008
WASP-8 Sculptor 23h 59m 36.07s −35° 01′ 52.9″ 9.9 160 G6 b 2.23 1.17 8.16 0.0793 0.3082 88.52 2008
c 9.45 4323 5.28 0 2014
WASP-10 Pegasus 23h 15m 58s +31° 27′ 46″ 12.7 290 K5 b 3.06 1.08 3.0927616 0.0371 0.057 86.8 2008
WASP-11/HAT-P-10 Perseus 03h 09m 29s +30° 40′ 25″ 11.89 408 K3V b 0.460 1.045 3.7224690 0.0439 0 88.5 2008
WASP-12 Auriga 06h 30m 32.794s +29° 40′ 20.29″ 11.7 871 G0V b 1.404 1.736 1.0914222 0.02293 0 86 2008
Gloas Lynx 09h 20m 24.71s +33° 52′ 57.0″ 10.7 509 G1V Cruinlagh 0.485 1.365 4.353011 0.05379 0 85.64 2008
WASP-14 Boötes 14h 33m 06s +21° 53′ 41″ 9.75 520 F5V b 7.725 1.259 2.2437704 0.037 0.0903 84.79 2008
Nyamien Hydra 13h 55m 42.71s −32° 09′ 34.6″ 10.9 1005 F5 Asye 0.54 1.16 3.75 0.0472 0 85.5 2008
WASP-16 Virgo 14h 18m 43.92s −20° 16′ 31.8″ 11.3 520 G3V b 0.855 1.008 3.12 0.0421 0 85.22 2009
Dìwö Scorpius 15h 59m 51s −28° 03′ 42″ 11.6 1000 F6 Ditsö̀ 0.486 1.991 3.735438 0.0515 0.028 86.83 2009
WASP-18 Phoenix 01h 37m 24.95s −45° 40′ 40.8″ 9.29 330 F9 b 10.3 1.106 0.94145299 0.02026 0.0092 86 2009
Wattle Vela 09h 43m 40.077s −45° 39′ 33.06″ 12.3 815 G8V Banksia 1.168 1.386 0.78884 0.01655 0.0046 79.4 2009
WASP-20 Cetus 00h 20m 38.53s −23° 56′ 08.6″ 10.7 685 F9 b 0.31 1.459 4.9 0.06003 85.57 2011
Tangra Pegasus 23h 09m 58.23s +18° 23′ 46.0″ 11.6 750 G3V Bendida 0.3 1.21 4.322506 0.052 0 87.29 2010
Tojil Eridanus 03h 31m 16.32s −23° 49′ 11.0″ 12.0 980 G1 Koyopa' 0.588 1.158 3.5327313 0.04698 0 88.26 2010
WASP-23 Puppis 06h 44m 31s −42° 45′ 43″ 12.7 671.1 K1V b 0.884 0.962 2.9444256 0.0376 < 0.062 88.39 2010
WASP-24 Virgo 15h 08m 51.72s +02° 20′ 36.1″ 11.3 1080 F8-9 b 1.03 1.10 2.341 0.0359 0 85.71 2010
WASP-25 Hydra 13h 01m 26.36s −27° 31′ 20.0″ 11.9 550 G4 b 0.58 1.26 3.765 0.0487 0 87.7 2010
WASP-26 Cetus 00h 18m 24.70s −15° 16′ 02.3″ 11.3 815 G0 b 1.028 1.281 2.7566004 0.03985 0 82.91 2010
WASP-27/HAT-P-14 Hercules 17h 20m 27.8s +38° 14′ 31.9″ 10 731.2 F5 b 2.44 1.101 4.6 0.060 0.1074 84.1167 2010
WASP-28 Pisces 23h 34m 27.87s −01° 34′ 48.1″ 12 1090 F8 b 1.12 0.91 3.409 0.0455 0.046 88.61 2010
WASP-29 Phoenix 23h 51m 31.08s −39° 54′ 24.2″ 11.3 260 K4V b 0.25 0.74 3.923 0.0456 0 87.96 2010
WASP-31 [ru] Crater 11h 17m 45s −19° 03′ 17″ 11.7 1305 F b 0.478 1.537 3.405909 0.04657 0 84.54 2010
Parumleo Pisces 00h 15m 51s +01° 12′ 02″ 11.3 G Viculus 3.6 1.18 2.71865 0.0394 0.018 85.3 2010
WASP-33 Andromeda 02h 26m 51.05s +37° 33′ 01.7″ 8.3 378 A5 b < 4.59 1.438 1.21986967 0.02558 0 87.67 2010
Amansinaya Crater 11h 01m 36s −23° 51′ 38″ 10.4 391 G5 Haik 0.59 1.22 4.3176782 0.0524 0.038 85.2 2010
WASP-35 Eridanus 5h 4m 19.63s −6° 13′ 47.36″ 10.94 663 G0V b 0.72 1.32 3.161575 0.04317 0 87.96 2011
WASP-36 Hydra 08h 45m 19.0s −08° 01′ 37″ 12.7 1468 G2 b 2.279 1.269 1.53737 0.02624 83.65 2010
WASP-37 Virgo 14h 47m 46.62s +01° 03′ 53.4″ 12.7 1102 G2 b 1.696 1.136 3.577471 0.04339 0 88.78 2010
Irena Hercules 16h 15m 50s +10° 01′ 57″ 9.42 359 F8 Iztok 2.712 1.079 6.871815 0.07551 0.0321 88.69 2010
Malmok Virgo 14h 29m 18s −03° 26′ 40″ 12.11 750 G8 Bocaprins 0.28 1.27 4.055259 0.0486 0 87.83 2011
WASP-40/HAT-P-27 Virgo 14h 51m 04.25s +05° 56′ 50.4″ 12.21 665 G8 b 0.66 1.055 3.0395721 0.0403 0.078 84.98 2011
WASP-41 Centaurus 12h 42m 28.51s −30° 38′ 23.5″ 11.6 587 G8V b 0.92 1.21 3.052394 0.04 0 87.3 2010
c — — 421.0 1.07 0.294 — 2015
WASP-42 Centaurus 12h 51m 55.62s −42° 04′ 25.2″ 12.57 K1 b 0.5 1.08 4.98169 0.0458 0.06 88.25 2011
Gnomon Sextans 10h 19m 38s −09° 48′ 23″ 12.4 K7V Astrolábos 1.78 0.93 0.813475 0.0142 0 82.6 2011
WASP-44 Cetus 00h 15m 37s −11° 56′ 17″ 12.9 G8V b 0.889 1.14 2.4238039 0.03473 0 86.02 2011
WASP-45 Sculptor 00h 20m 57s −35° 59′ 54″ 12 K2V b 1.007 1.16 3.1260876 0.04054 0 84.47 2011
WASP-46 Indus 21h 14m 57s −55° 52′ 18″ 12.9 G6V b 2.101 1.31 1.43037 0.02448 0 82.63 2011
WASP-47 Aquarius 20h 40m 09.16s −00° 52′ 15.0″ 11.9 652 G9V b 1.14 1.15 4.15914 0.052 0 89.32 2011
c 1.31 — 596.0 1.41 0.28 87.0 2015
d 0.0428 0.331 9.0304 0.088 0.007 89.22 2015
e 0.029 0.167 0.78961 0.0173 0.03 86.2 2015
WASP-48 Cygnus 19h 24m 39s +55° 28′ 23″ 11.06 F/G b 0.98 1.67 2.143634 0.03444 0 80.09 2011
WASP-49A Canis Major 06h 04m 21.47s −16° 57′ 55.1″ 11.36 G6 b 0.378 1.115 2.78174 84.89 2011
Chaophraya Eridanus 02h 54m 45s −10° 53′ 53″ 11.6 750 G9 Maeping 1.468 1.153 1.9550959 0.02945 0.009 84.74 2011
WASP-51/HAT-P-30 Draco 08h 15m 48s +05° 50′ 12″ 10.36 629 F9 b 0.711 1.34 2.810595 0.0419 0.035 83.6 2011
Anadolu Pegasus 23h 13m 59.0s +08° 45′ 41″ 12 457 K2V Göktürk 0.46 1.27 1.74978 85.35 2011
WASP-53 Cetus 2h 7m 38.22s −20° 39′ 43″ 11.0 766 K3 b 0.094 1.2 3.31 0.04101 - 87.08 2011
WASP-54 Virgo 13h 41m 49.03s −00° 07′ 41″ 10.42 F9V/IV b 0.6 1.4 3.7 2011
WASP-55 Virgo 08h 15m 48s +05° 50′ 12″ 11.8 1076 b 0.57 1.3 4.46563 0.0533 89.2 2011
WASP-56 Triangulum 02h 13m 27.90s +23° 30′ 20.2″ 11.48 G6 b 0.6 1.2 4.6 2011
WASP-57 Libra 14h 55m 16.84s −02° 03′ 27.5″ 13.34 1483 G6 b 0.8 1.1 2.8 2011
WASP-58 Lyra 18h 18m 48.0s +45° 10′ 19″ 11.66 978 G2V b 0.89 1.37 5.01718 0.0561 87.4 2011
WASP-59 Pegasus 23h 18m 30.0s +24° 53′ 21″ 13 408 K5V b 0.863 0.775 7.91959 0.0697 0.1 2011
Morava Pegasus 23h 15m 58s +31° 27′ 46″ 12.18 1305 G1V Vlasina 0.5 0.86 4.305 0.0531 0 87.9 2011
WASP-61 Lepus 05h 01m 12.0s −26° 03′ 15″ 12.5 1566 F7 b 2.06 1.24 3.8559 0.0514 89.35 2011
Naledi Dorado 05h 48m 34.0s −63° 59′ 18″ 10.3 1566 F7 Krotoa 0.57 1.39 4.41195 0.0567 88.3 2011
Kosjenka Columba 06h 17m 21.0s −38° 19′ 24″ 11.2 1076 G8 Regoč 0.38 1.43 4.37809 0.574 87.8 2011
Atakoraka Canis Major 6h 44m 28s −32° 51′ 30″ 12.29 1141 G7 Agouto 1.217 1.244 1.57329 0.0264 0.04 86.7 2011
WASP-65 [ru] Cancer 08h 53m 18s +08° 31′ 23″ 11.9 1010 G6 b 1.55 1.112 2.3114243 0.0334 - 2011
WASP-66 Antlia 10h 32m 54.0s −34° 59′ 23″ 11.6 1239 F4 b 2.32 1.39 4.08605 0.0546 85.9 2011
WASP-67 Sagittarius 19h 42m 59.0s −19° 56′ 58″ 12.5 734 K0V b 0.42 1.4 4.61442 0.0517 85.8 2011
WASP-68 [ru] Sagittarius 20h 20m 22.98s −19° 18′ 52.9″ 10.7 G0 b 0.95 1.24 5.08 2011
Wouri Aquarius 21h 0m 6s −5° 5′ 40″ K5 Makombé 0.26 1.06 3.8681382 0.04525 0 86.7 2011
WASP-70A Aquarius 21h 01m 54s −13° 26′ 00″ 10.8 799 G4 b 0.59 1.16 3.713 0.0485 < 0.067 - 2011
Mpingo Cetus 01h 57m 03.0s 00° 45′ 32″ 10.57 652 F8 Tanzanite 2.258 1.5 2.90367 84.2 2012
Diya Fornax 00h 10m 56.6s −30° 10′ 09″ 9.6 F7 Cuptor 1.5461 1.27 2.21674 0.03708 2013
WASP-73 [ru] Indus 21h 19m 47.91s −58° 08′ 56″ 10.5 F9 b 1.88 1.16 4.087 0.05514 2013
WASP-74 Aquila 20h 18m 10.0s −01° 04′ 33″ 9.7 391 F9 b 0.826 1.404 2.1377445 0.03443 0.0 79.86 2014
WASP-75 Cetus 01h 31m 18.2s −10:40:32° 11.45 848 F9 b 1.07 1.27 2.48419 0.0375 82 2013
WASP-76 Pisces 01h 46m 32.0s 02° 42′ 02″ 9.5 390 F7 b 0.92 1.83 1.80989 0.033 88 2013
WASP-77A Cetus 02h 28m 37.0s −07° 03′ 38″ 11.29 G8V b 1.76 1.21 1.36003 89.4 2012
WASP-78 Eridanus 04h 15m 02.0s −22° 06′ 59″ 12.0 1794 F8 b 1.16 1.75 2.17518 0.0415 89 2012
Montuno Eridanus 04h 25m 29.0s −30° 36′ 02″ 10.1 783 F3 Pollera 0.89 1.7 2.17518 0.0362 83.2 2012
Petra Aquila 20h 12m 40.0s −02° 08′ 44″ 11.88 196 K7V Wadirum 0.554 0.952 3.06785 0.0346 0.07 89.92 2013
WASP-82 Orion 04h 50m 39s +01° 53′ 38″ 10.1 650 F5 b 1.24 1.67 2.70578 0.0447 87.9 2013
WASP-83 Corvus 12h 40m 37.0s −19° 17′ 03″ 12.9 978 G8 b 0.3 1.04 4.071252 0.059 0.0 88.9 2014
WASP-84 Hydra 08h 44m 26s +01° 50′ 36″ 390 K0 b 0.694 0.942 8.52349 0.0771 88.368 2013
WASP-85A Virgo 11h 43m 38.1s +06° 33′ 49.4″ 11.2 407±260 G5 b 1.09 1.44 2.66 0.1138 ~0 89.72 2014
WASP-86 Hercules 17h 50m 33.7s +36° 34′ 13″ 10.66 F7 b 0.95 1.79 5.0316144 0.0617 0.0 84.45 2016
WASP-87 A Centaurus 12h 21m 17.92s −52° 50′ 27.6″ 10.7 780 F5 b 2.18 1.385 1.6827950 0.02946 81.07 2014
WASP-88 Indus 20h 38m 02.7s −48° 27′ 43.2″ 11.4 F6 b 0.56 1.7 4.954 0.06432 2013
WASP-89 Capricornus 20h 55m 36.0s −18° 58′ 16″ 13.1 K3 b 5.9 1.04 3.3564227 0.0427 0.193 89.4 2014
WASP-90 Equuleus 21h 02m 08s +07° 03′ 24″ 11.7 1100 F6 b 0.63 1.63 3.91624 0.0562 82.1 2013
WASP-91 Tucana 23h 51m 23.0s −70° 09′ 10″ 12.0 K3 b 1.34 1.03 2.798581 0.037 0.0 86.8 2017
WASP-92 Hercules 16h 26m 46.1s +51° 02′ 28″ 13.18 1729 F7 b 0.805 1.461 2.1746742 0.0348 0.0 83.75 2016
WASP-93 Cassiopeia 00h 37m 50.0s +51° 17′ 20″ 10.97 815 F4 b 1.47 1.597 2.7325321 0.04211 — 81.18 2016
WASP-94A Microscopium 20h 55m 07.94s −34° 08′ 07.9″ 10.1 587 F8 b 0.445 1.72 3.95 0.055 <0.13 88.7 2014
WASP-94B Microscopium 20h 55m 09.16s −34° 08′ 07.9″ 10.5 587 F9 b ≥0.617 2.008 0.0335 2014
WASP-95 Grus 21h 02m 08s −48° 00′ 11″ 10.1 G2 b 1.13 1.21 2.18467 0.03416 88.4 2013
WASP-96 Phoenix 00h 04m 11s −47° 21′ 38″ 12.2 G8 b 0.48 1.2 3.42526 0.0453 85.6 2013
WASP-97 Eridanus 01h 38m 25s −55° 46′ 19″ 10.6 G5 b 1.32 1.13 2.07276 0.03303 88 2013
WASP-98 Eridanus 03h 53m 42s −34° 19′ 42″ 13.0 G7 b 0.83 1.1 2.96264 0.036 86.3 2013
WASP-99 Eridanus 02h 39m 35s −50° 00′ 29″ 9.5 F8 b 2.78 1.1 5.75251 0.0717 88.8 2013
WASP-100 Reticulum 04h 35m 50s −64° 01′ 37″ 10.8 F2 b 2.03 1.69 2.84938 0.0457 82.6 2013
WASP-101 Canis Major 06h 33m 24s −23° 29′ 10″ 10.3 F6 b 0.5 1.41 3.58572 0.0506 85 2013
WASP-102 Pegasus 22h 25m 51.4s 15° 51′ 24″ 12.73 G0 b 0.624 1.259 2.709813 0.0401 — 89.73 2016
WASP-103 Hercules 16h 37m 15.5s +07° 11′ 00.07″ 12.1 F8 b 1.49 1.53 0.925 0.01985 86.3 2014
WASP-104 Leo 10h 42m 24.61s +07° 26′ 6.3″ 11.12 466 G8 b 1.272 1.137 1.7554137 0.02918 83.63 2014
WASP-105 Phoenix 01h 36m 40.0s −50° 39′ 32″ 12.10 K2 b 1.8 0.96 7.87288 0.075 0.0 89.7 2017
WASP-106 Leo 11h 05m 43.13s −05° 04′ 45.9″ 11.21 923 F9 b 1.925 1.085 9.289715 0.0917 89.49 2014
WASP-107 [ru] Virgo 12h 33m 32.85s −10° 8′ 46.14″ 11.6 208.7 K6V b 0.12 0.94 5.72149 0.055 - - 2017
WASP-108 Centaurus 13h 03m 19s −49° 38′ 23″ 11.2 717 F9 b 1.167 1.215 2.6755463 0.0397 88.49 2014
WASP-109 Libra 15h 28m 13.0s −16° 24′ 39″ 11.4 1076 F4 b 0.91 1.443 3.3190233 0.0463 84.28 2014
WASP-110 Sagittarius 20h 23m 30s −44° 03′ 30″ 12.3 1043 G9 b 0.515 1.238 3.7783977 0.0457 88.06 2014
WASP-111 Capricornus 21h 55m 04s −22° 36′ 45″ 10.3 684 F5 b 1.83 1.442 2.310965 0.03914 81.61 2014
WASP-112 [ru] Piscis Austrinus 22h 37m 57s −35° 09′ 14″ 13.3 1337 G6 b 0.88 1.191 3.0353992 0.0382 88.68 2014
WASP-113 Boötes 14h 59m 29.0s +46° 57′ 36″ 11.80 1174 G1 b 0.475 1.409 4.54216874538 0.05885 0.0 86.46 2016
WASP-114 Pegasus 21h 50m 40.0s 10° 27′ 47″ 12.74 1500 G0 b 1.769 1.339 1.5487743 0.02851 0.012 83.96 2016
WASP-117 [ru] 02h 27m 06.09s −50° 17′ 04.3″ 10.15 F9V b 0.2755 1.021 10.02165 0.09459 0.302 89.14 2014[12]
WASP-118 Pisces 01h 18m 12.0s 02° 42′ 10″ 11.02 815 F6 b 0.514 1.44 4.0460435 0.05453 — 88.7 2016
WASP-119 Reticulum 03h 43m 46.0s −65° 11′ 38″ 12.2 1086 G5 b 1.23 1.4 2.49979 0.0363 0.058 85.0 2016
WASP-120 Horologium 04h 10m 28.0s −45° 53′ 54″ 11 F5 b 5.06 1.515 3.6112706 0.0522 0.059 82.29 2015
Dilmun Puppis 7h 10m 24.0595s −39° 5′ 50.562″ 11.0 850 F6V Tylos 1.184 1.81 1.275 0.02544 0 87.6 2015
WASP-122 Puppis 07h 13m 12.0s −42° 24′ 35″ 11.0 G4 b 1.401 1.792 1.7100567 0.03107 0.0 78.35 2015
WASP-123 Sagittarius 19h 17m 55.0s −32° 51′ 36″ 11.1 G5 b 0.92 1.327 2.977641 0.0431 0.0 85.79 2015
WASP-124 Piscis Austrinus 22h 10m 51.0s −30° 44′ 58″ 12.7 1412 F9 b 0.6 1.24 3.37265 0.0499 0.017 86.3 2016
WASP-126 Hydrus 04h 13m 30.0s −69° 13′ 37″ 10.8 763 G2 b 0.2841 0.96 3.2888 0.0449 0.18 87.9 2016
WASP-127 Sextans 10h 42m 14.08s −03° 50′ 6.26″ 10.2 522 G5 b 0.18 1.37 4.17806 0.052 0 - 2016
WASP-129 Centaurus 11h 45m 12.0s −42° 03′ 50″ 12.3 802 G1 b 1.0 0.93 5.748145 0.0628 0.096 87.7 2016
WASP-130 Centaurus 13h 32m 5.0s −42° 28′ 31″ 11.1 587 G6 b 1.23 0.89 11.55098 0.1012 0.0 88.66 2016
WASP-131 Centaurus 14h 00m 46.0s −30° 35′ 01″ 10.1 815 G0 b 0.27 1.22 5.322023 0.0607 0.0 85.0 2016
WASP-132 Lupus 14h 30m 26.0s −46° 09′ 33″ 12.4 391 K4 b 0.41 0.87 7.133521 0.067 0.0 89.6 2016
WASP-133 Microscopium 20h 58m 18.0s −35° 47′ 48″ 12.9 1491 G4 b 1.16 1.21 2.176423 0.0345 0.17 87.0 2016
WASP-134 Pegasus 21h 50m 17.0s 04° 11′ 40″ 11.3 636 G4 b 1.412 0.988 10.1467583 0.0956 0.1447 89.13 2018
c — — 70.01 — 0.173 — 2018
WASP-135 Hercules 17h 49m 08.0s +29° 52′ 45″ 13.3 978 G5 b 1.9 1.3 1.4013794 0.0243 0.0 82.0 2015
WASP-136 [ru] Cetus 0h 1m 18.17s −8° 55′ 34.6″ 10.39 906 F5 b 1.51 1.38 5.22 0.0661 0 84.7 2016
WASP-137 Cetus 01h 43m 29.0s −14° 08′ 57″ 11 801 G0 b 0.681 1.27 3.9080284 0.0519 0.14 84.59 2018
WASP-138 Cetus 2h 46m 33.37s −0° 27′ 50″ 12.28 F9 b 1.22 1.09 3.6 0.0494 0 88.5 2016[13]
WASP-139 Eridanus 03h 18m 15.0s −41° 18′ 08″ 12.4 750 K0 b 0.117 0.8 5.924262 0.062 0.0 88.9 2016
WASP-140 Eridanus 01h 38m 25.0s −55° 46′ 19″ 11.1 587 K0 b 2.44 1.44 2.2359835 0.0323 0.047 83.3 2016
WASP-141 Eridanus 04h 47m 18.0s −17° 06′ 55″ 12.4 1859 F9 b 2.69 1.21 3.310651 0.0469 0.0 87.6 2016
WASP-142 Hydra 09h 23m 23.0s −23° 56′ 46″ 12.3 2740 F8 b 0.84 1.53 2.052868 0.0347 0.0 80.2 2016
WASP-143 Hydra 09h 22m 02.0s +02° 55′ 57″ 12.6 1115 G1 b 0.725 1.234 3.778873 0.049 0.0007 89.0 -
WASP-144 Microscopium 21h 23m 03.0s −40° 02′ 54″ 12.9 K2V b 0.44 0.85 2.2783152 0.0316 0.0 86.9 2018
WASP-145A Indus 21h 29m 01.0s −58° 50′ 10″ 11.5 K2V b 0.89 0.9 — 0.0261 0.0 83.3 2018
WASP-146 Cetus 23h 56m 22.0s −13° 16′ 18″ 12.90 1373 G0 b 1.11 1.228 3.396944 0.0451 0.15 83.96 2018
WASP-147 Aquarius 23h 56m 46.0s −22° 09′ 11″ 12.31 1389 G4 b 0.275 1.115 4.60273 0.0549 0.0 87.9 2018
WASP-148 Hercules 16h 56m 31.0s +44° 18′ 09″ 12.00 809 b [id] 0.29 0.72 8.80381 0.0845 0.22 89.8 2020
c — — 34.516 0.21 0.359 — 2020
WASP-150 Draco 17h 37m 03.0s +53° 01′ 16″ 12.00 1748 b 8.46 1.07 5.644207 0.0694 0.3775 84.01 2020
WASP-151 Pisces 23h 16m 15.2s 00° 18′ 24″ 12.9 1566 G1 b 0.31 1.13 4.533471 0.055 0.0 89.2 2017
WASP-152 Taurus 04h 10m 41.0s 24° 24′ 07″ 12.56 603 G7V b 0.73 1.19 3.2588321 0.04217 0.066 86.656 2016
WASP-153 Lyra 18h 37m 03.0s +40° 01′ 07″ 12.8 1402 b 0.39 1.55 3.332609 0.048 0.0 84.1 2017
WASP-156 Cetus 02h 11m 07.6s +02° 25′ 05″ 11.6 457 K3 b 0.128 0.51 3.836169 0.0453 0.0 89.1 2017
WASP-157 [ru] Virgo 13h 26m 37.25s −8° 19′ 3.22″ 12.91 1545 G2V b 0.576 1.045 3.9516205 0.0529 0 - 2016
WASP-158 Cetus 00h 16m 35.0s −10° 58′ 35″ 12.1 F6V b 2.79 1.07 — 0.0517 0.0 87.7 2018
WASP-159 Caelum 04h 32m 33.0s −38° 58′ 06″ 12.8 - F9 b 0.55 1.38 3.840401 0.0538 0.0 88.1 2018
WASP-160B Columba 05h 50m 43.1s −27° 37′ 23″ 13.09 - K0V b 0.281 1.093 3.768495 0.0455 0.0 89.02 2018
Tislit Hydra 08h 25m 21.1s −11° 30′ 04″ 11.09 F6 Isli 2.49 1.143 5.4060425 0.0673 — 89.01 2018
WASP-162 Crater 11h 13m 10.0s −17° 39′ 28″ 12.2 K0 b 5.2 1.0 9.62468 0.0871 0.434 89.3 2018
WASP-163 Ophiuchus 17h 06m 09.0s −10° 24′ 47″ 12.54 G8 b 1.87 1.202 1.6096884 0.0266 — 85.42 2018
WASP-164 Tucana 22h 59m 29.6s −60° 26′ 52″ 12.62 G2V b 2.13 1.128 1.7771255 0.02818 0.0 82.73 2018
WASP-165 Aquarius 23h 50m 19.3s −17° 04′ 39″ 12.69 - G6 b 0.658 1.26 3.465509 0.04823 0.0 84.9 2018
Filetdor Hydra 09h 39m 30.0s −20° 58′ 57″ 9.36 369 F9 Catalineta 0.102 0.63 5.443526 0.0642 0.0 87.8 2018
WASP-167 Centaurus 13h 4m 10.53s −35° 32′ 58.28″ 10.5 1430 F1V b 8.0 - 2.0219591 0.0365 - - 2017
WASP-168 Puppis 06h 26m 59.0s −46° 49′ 17″ 11.0 F9V b 0.42 1.5 4.153658 0.0519 0.0 84.4 2018
WASP-169 Hydra 08h 29m 33.0s −12° 56′ 41″ 12.2 2081 b 0.561 1.304 5.6114118 0.0681 0.0 87.9 2019
WASP-170 Pyxis 09h 01m 39.9s −20° 43′ 14″ 12.79 G1 b 1.6 1.096 2.34478022 0.0337 — 84.87 2018
WASP-171 Centaurus 11h 27m 23.0s −44° 05′ 19″ 13 2524 b 1.084 0.988 3.8186244 0.0504 0.0 88.3 2019
WASP-172 Centaurus 13h 17m 44.0s −47° 14′ 15″ 11.0 - F1V b 0.47 1.57 5.477433 0.0694 0.0 86.7 2018
WASP-173A Sculptor 23h 36m 40.0s −34° 36′ 41″ 11.3 G3 b 3.69 1.2 1.38665318 0.0248 0.0 85.2 2018
WASP-175 Hydra 11h 05m 17.0s −34° 07′ 20″ 12 1905 b 0.99 1.208 3.0652907 0.044 0.0 85.33 2019
WASP-176 Delphinus 20h 54m 45.0s +09° 10′ 45″ 12.00 1885 b 0.855 1.505 3.899052 0.0535 0.0 86.7 2020
WASP-177 Aquarius 22h 19m 11.0s −01° 50′ 04″ 11.6 581 K2 b 0.508 1.58 3.071722 0.03957 — 84.14 2019
WASP-178 Lupus 15h 09m 05.0s −42° 42′ 18″ 9.95 1363 A1IV-V b 1.66 1.81 3.3448285 0.0558 0.0 85.7 2019
WASP-181 Pisces 01h 47m 10.0s 03° 07′ 59″ 10.0 1445 G2 b 0.299 1.184 4.5195064 0.05427 — 88.38 2019
WASP-182 Microscopium 20h 46m 42.0s −41° 49′ 15″ 12 1080 b 0.148 0.85 3.3769848 0.0451 0.0 83.88 2019
WASP-183 Leo 10h 55m 09.0s −00° 44′ 14″ 12.76 1070 G9/K0 b 0.502 1.47 4.1117771 0.04632 — 85.37 2019
WASP-184 Centaurus 13h 58m 04.0s −30° 20′ 53″ 12.9 2087 F1V b 0.57 1.33 5.1817 0.0627 0.0 86.9 2019
WASP-185 Virgo 14h 16m 14.3s −19° 32′ 32″ 11.101 911 G0V b 0.980 1.25 9.38755 0.0904 0.24 86.8 2019
WASP-189 Libra 15h 02m 44.9s −03° 01′ 53″ 6.60 323 A6IV-V b 2.13 1.374 2.724033 0.0497 0.0 84.321 2018
WASP-192 Centaurus 14h 54m 38.1s −38° 44′ 40″ 12.678 1660 G0V b 2.30 1.23 2.8786765 0.0408 0.0 82.7 2019
WASP-193 Hydra 10h 57m 23.9s −29° 59′ 49″ 12.134 1232 F9V b 0.139 1.464 6.2463345 0.0676 0.0560 88.49 2023

Brown dwarfs

[edit]
Star Constellation Right
ascension 		Declination App.
mag. 		Distance (ly) Spectral
type 		Object Mass
(MJ) 		Radius
(RJ) 		Orbital
period
(d) 		Semimajor
axis
(AU) 		Orbital
eccentricity 		Inclination
(°) 		Discovery
year
WASP-30 Aquarius 23h 53m 38.1s −10° 07′ 05.1″ 11.91[14] 1161[15] F8 b 60.96 0.889 4.156736 0.05325 0 89.57 2010[16]
WASP-53A Cetus 02h 07m 38.22s −20° 39′ 43.0″ 12.19 654[17] K3 c >16.35 — >2840 >3.73 0.8369 — 2016[18]
WASP-81A Aquila 20h 16m 49.89s +03° 17′ 38.7″ 12.29 1313[19] G1 c 56.6 — 1297.2 2.426 0.5570 — 2016[18]
WASP-128 Centaurus 11h 31m 26.1s −41° 41′ 22″ 12.5 1376 G0V b 37.19 0.937 2.20883665 0.0359 0.0 89.1 2018

Excluded objects

[edit]
  • WASP-3Ac, a 3.75-day period 0.05 MJ planetary candidate,[20] was proposed in 2010 to explain transit timing variations observed in WASP-3b,[21] but its existence was refuted in 2012.[22]
  • WASP-9b was determined to be a false positive after its initial public announcement as a planet, and the identifier was not subsequently reassigned to a real planetary system.[23]

See also

[edit]

Other extrasolar planet search projects

[edit]

Extrasolar planet searching spacecraft

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Wide Angle Search for Planets

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) is an international astronomical collaboration dedicated to discovering exoplanets through the transit method, utilizing robotic observatories equipped with wide-angle cameras to monitor millions of stars simultaneously for periodic dips in brightness indicative of planetary transits. Established as a of universities including , , and , along with international partners such as the and the , WASP operates two primary facilities: SuperWASP-North at the Observatorio del on , (operational since 2006), and WASP-South at the (operational since 2006). Each observatory features eight wide-field cameras with 200 mm f/1.8 lenses and 2048×2048 CCD detectors, providing a of approximately 7.8° × 7.8° per camera and enabling near-continuous coverage of the entire sky visible from each site. The project's data pipeline, developed by institutions like and , processes vast datasets—over 430 billion photometric measurements of around 30 million stars—to identify transit candidates, which are then followed up using radial velocity spectrographs such as CORALIE and to confirm planetary masses and orbits. WASP has proven to be the most prolific ground-based transit survey, with confirmed discoveries exceeding 150 planets, including notable hot s like WASP-1b (the first from the project, announced in 2006) and more recent finds such as WASP-121b, a "super-hot" Jupiter studied for its atmospheric dynamics. Beyond detection, WASP contributes to broader research by releasing public archives of light curves and images, facilitating studies on stellar variability, eclipsing binaries, and short-period variables, while its wide-field approach has advanced techniques in automated photometry and candidate validation essential for next-generation surveys like TESS and .

Overview and History

Project Overview

The Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) is an international ground-based survey that utilizes the transit method to detect planets orbiting stars with visual magnitudes between 7 and 13, covering the entire sky through observations from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Operational since 2004, the project employs wide-field imaging to monitor millions of stars simultaneously each night, building extensive light curves to identify potential transiting exoplanets. The primary objective of WASP is to identify transiting suitable for detailed follow-up characterization, particularly those around bright stars that enable high-precision measurements and atmospheric studies. As of 2025, the survey has led to the discovery of nearly 200 confirmed , predominantly hot Jupiters—gas giants in close orbits around their host stars. These findings contribute significantly to understanding demographics and formation mechanisms. The transit detection principle relies on observing periodic dimming of a star's light as a planet passes in front of it, allowing initial candidate identification before confirmation via complementary techniques. Through its automated pipeline and collaborative network, WASP continues to provide a robust dataset for advancing exoplanet science.

Historical Development

The Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) project originated in 1999 through a collaboration between Queen's University Belfast and the University of St Andrews, aimed at developing a wide-field survey to detect transiting exoplanets. The initial prototype, WASP0, was constructed by Don Pollacco using off-the-shelf Comet Cam CCD technology and deployed for testing in 2000 at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on La Palma, Canary Islands. This system, with its 9-degree field of view, successfully detected the known transit of HD 209458b, confirming the viability of the ground-based wide-angle approach for exoplanet searches. Following the prototype's success, the collaboration expanded in 2000 to include the Universities of and , securing funding from the UK's and Astronomy (PPARC) for an upgraded system called WASP1. By 2002, obtained additional funding for SuperWASP, an enhanced array initially comprising four cameras (later expanded to eight), optimized for brighter stars and deployed at . In 2003, joined the effort, obtaining £400,000 to establish WASP-South at the site, with funding matching camera arrays for both observatories. SuperWASP-North began partial operations in 2004 with five cameras but required an overhaul in 2005 due to initial technical issues, achieving full robotic functionality in 2006 alongside WASP-South, each equipped with eight cameras. The project's first exoplanet detections occurred in 2004 using early SuperWASP-North data, but formal announcements came on September 26, 2006, with the confirmation of WASP-1b and WASP-2b—two planets orbiting F7V and K1V stars, respectively, with periods of 2.52 and 2.15 days. These discoveries, validated through follow-up with the SOPHIE spectrograph, represented the first results from a dedicated wide-field ground-based transit survey. In 2007, the project announced WASP-3b, WASP-4b, and WASP-5b, further s transiting moderately bright stars, which were highlighted as among the year's top scientific breakthroughs by the journal . A pivotal milestone arrived in 2009 with , an ultra-low-density planet (approximately 1.6 Saturn masses but 1.5–2 radii) in a 3.7-day around an F6 star, confirmed to have a retrograde via Rossiter-McLaughlin effect measurements—the first such detection for an . This finding offered key evidence on dynamical interactions in planetary systems. By 2011, WASP had confirmed dozens of transiting , expanding to over 100 by 2013 and reaching 118 by 2016, reflecting steady growth in survey efficiency and follow-up capabilities. By 2025, the project had surpassed 150 discoveries, continuing its role as a leading ground-based contributor to exoplanet science. In April 2025, a batch of nine new giant (WASP-102 b to WASP-197 b) was announced, further advancing the survey's tally to nearly 200 confirmed exoplanets. Early challenges included the WASP0 prototype's limitations, such as its narrow field and sensitivity constraints, which restricted it to known targets and prompted rapid to SuperWASP's broader coverage and automated data pipeline. Handling the massive data volumes—up to 2,000 images per night producing 40 GB—also required significant upgrades in processing infrastructure to identify rare transit signals amid stellar variability. These hurdles were overcome through and international partnerships, enabling the project's transition to sustained operations.

Instrumentation and Observatories

SuperWASP-North

SuperWASP-North is located at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on the island of in the , , where it benefits from the site's dark skies and stable atmospheric conditions as part of the Group of telescopes. This northern facility enables continuous monitoring of the , complementing the southern counterpart to achieve near-whole-sky coverage for transit searches. The hardware setup consists of eight wide-field cameras mounted on a single robotic equatorial fork mount, each featuring a Canon 200 mm f/1.8 paired with a 2048 × 2048 back-illuminated CCD detector from Andor Technology (model iKon-L with e2v sensors). Each camera provides a of approximately 61 square degrees at a plate scale of 13.7 arcseconds per , yielding a total coverage of about 490 square degrees per pointing. The system employs broadband filters spanning 400–700 nm, roughly equivalent to the V-band, to optimize sensitivity for bright stars in the 8–13 magnitude range. Operations are fully robotic and unattended, with the enclosure's roll-off roof opening automatically during clear weather to allow imaging throughout the night. The dynamically schedules observations to survey the visible sky approximately every 40 minutes, prioritizing candidate fields while acquiring high-cadence data where needed; this generates up to 100 GB of per night, which is immediately transferred for processing. These modifications, along with earlier additions like the filters and dynamic scheduling software, have sustained the instrument's performance over its operational lifetime. In late 2022 to early 2023, SuperWASP-North underwent a major refurbishment and upgrade, redeveloped into the STING (Simultaneous Transit Instrument with Nine Guns) facility. STING features a wider 75 square degree field of view with simultaneous imaging in four colors (g', r', i', z'), enhancing capabilities for transit detection, stellar variability studies, and multi-wavelength photometry. This upgrade maintains the robotic operations while improving sensitivity to smaller transits and enabling new cases beyond the original SuperWASP design.

WASP-South

WASP-South, the southern component of the Wide Angle Search for Planets project, is situated at the (SAAO) near , providing optimal access to the . Installed in 2006, it began routine operations that year, capturing its first light on February 13, 2006, and has since conducted continuous robotic observations of the night sky. This location was selected for its and favorable astronomical conditions, despite the site's variable weather, which includes periods of high wind and dust typical of the semi-arid region. The observatory's hardware mirrors the design philosophy of its northern counterpart, featuring an array of eight Canon 200 mm f/1.8 telephoto lenses, each paired with a 2K × 2K iKon-L Peltier-cooled CCD detector. This configuration delivers a broad field of view totaling approximately 490 square degrees per pointing, with a pixel scale of about 14 arcseconds, enabling the simultaneous monitoring of millions of stars brighter than magnitude 15. The system employs a custom broadband filter (400–700 nm) to optimize sensitivity for transit detection in main-sequence stars. In operation, WASP-South scans one-third of the observable southern sky every 10 minutes under clear conditions, acquiring CCD images with 30–60 second exposures to build high-cadence light curves for variability analysis. The instrument is synchronized with the northern facility to provide near-continuous full-sky coverage, alternating observations to avoid seasonal biases. It is engineered to withstand the Sutherland site's environmental challenges, such as elevated dust levels from dry winds and occasional strong gusts exceeding 20 m/s, through robust enclosure designs and automated cleaning protocols that minimize downtime. Performance-wise, WASP-South has amassed over 200 billion stellar measurements, contributing to roughly 50% of the project's confirmed detections by targeting fields accessible for efficient follow-up with telescopes like those at La Silla and Paranal. This southern vantage has proven particularly valuable for characterizing hot Jupiters and other transiting systems, with notable examples including and WASP-65b, where the site's clear seeing and low humidity enhance photometric precision.

Detection Method

Transit Photometry

Transit photometry is the primary detection method employed by the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) project, which identifies by observing periodic decreases in the brightness of a host star caused by a passing in front of it from the observer's perspective. This transit event occurs when the of the is nearly edge-on relative to the , resulting in a characteristic dip in the star's that repeats with the . The method relies on high-precision, wide-field photometric monitoring to detect these subtle flux variations, typically on the order of 1% for gas-giant . The depth of the transit, denoted as δ\delta, is approximately given by the ratio of the squared radii of the planet and star: δ≈(RpR⋆)2\delta \approx \left( \frac{R_p}{R_\star} \right)^2 where RpR_p is the planetary radius and R⋆R_\star is the stellar radius. The duration and shape of the transit light curve further depend on the orbital period PP and the impact parameter bb, which measures the minimum projected separation between the planet's center and the stellar disk center in units of R⋆R_\star. These parameters influence the ingress and egress times, allowing for constraints on the orbital inclination and semi-major axis. For typical hot Jupiters with periods of a few days, transits last about 2 hours. WASP's sensitivity enables the detection of planets larger than approximately 1 orbiting stars brighter than 13th magnitude in the , achieving photometric precision sufficient to identify ~1% depth transits. False positives, such as eclipsing binaries mimicking planetary transits, are mitigated through detailed analysis of the shape, which reveals asymmetries or durations inconsistent with a planetary signal. Compared to methods, transit photometry offers the advantage of directly measuring planetary radii, and when combined with follow-up, it yields precise densities and masses for confirmed exoplanets.

Data Processing Pipeline

The Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) employs an automated data processing pipeline to transform raw wide-field images into light curves suitable for transit detection, handling approximately 50 GB of data per night from each observatory. The pipeline, developed collaboratively by institutions including Queen's University Belfast and the University of Warwick, processes images sequentially to calibrate, extract sources, and mitigate instrumental systematics before searching for periodic signals indicative of transits. Image calibration begins with the application of bias, dark-current, and flat-field corrections derived from nightly observations at dusk and dawn. Bias and dark frames are constructed as sigma-clipped medians from 10–20 exposures to account for CCD readout offsets and thermal , while twilight flats correct for pixel-to-pixel sensitivity variations, dust, and using iterative least-squares modeling. These steps ensure and uniformity across the 2048 × 2048 pixel CCD arrays, rejecting frames with excessive cloud-induced (χ² > threshold) or more than 50% bad pixels. Source extraction follows using a custom aperture photometry routine based on the Starlink EXTRACTOR package, which detects sources above 4σ significance and matches them to the Tycho-2 and USNO-B1.0 catalogs, incorporating unmatched "orphan" sources for completeness. Photometry is performed with concentric apertures of radii 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5 pixels, estimating sky background via a quadratic fit in an outer annulus (13–17 pixels); flux ratios between apertures (r1 and r2) flag blended sources to prioritize isolated targets brighter than V ≈ 15. This yields raw fluxes (FLUX2 in micro-Vega units) with precisions better than 1% for V < 12.5. Detrending addresses correlated systematics such as airmass-dependent extinction, seeing variations, and pixel-position effects using the SYSREM algorithm, which iteratively removes up to four dominant trends via while down-weighting outliers like variable stars. The corrected fluxes (TAMFLUX2) enhance signal-to-noise ratios, enabling reliable construction across multiple observing seasons and cameras. Period searches apply the Box Least Squares (BLS) method to detrended curves, scanning for box-shaped dips consistent with planetary transits over periods typically below 10 days. Candidates are selected based on a signal-to-red-noise (S_red) exceeding 7–8, multiple transit events, anti-transit ratios greater than 2, and depths implying planetary radii under 1.6 R_J, filtering out ellipsoidal variables and grazing eclipses. The pipeline generates thousands of initial candidates annually from monitoring millions of stars, with a confirmation yield of approximately 1% after spectroscopic follow-up. Post-2010 enhancements to the included refined SYSREM iterations for improved suppression and integration of the TAMUZ detrending module to standardize light curves across WASP-North and WASP-South datasets, facilitating the public release of over 12 million light curves in 2011. These updates reduced false positives and boosted sensitivity to shallower transits, supporting the survey's discovery of over 100 exoplanets by 2020.

Organization and Operations

Founding Institutions

The Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) project was founded in 2000 as a of primarily UK-based academic institutions dedicated to developing wide-field imaging systems for detecting transiting exoplanets. The core founding members included as the lead institution, the , and the , alongside supporting organizations such as the Group of Telescopes (ING) and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) for operational aspects. Queen's University Belfast played a central role in project leadership, funding, and data management, including backup and distribution of observational data. The University of Leicester contributed significantly to instrumentation development and data analysis, overseeing the design and construction of key hardware components. The University of St Andrews focused on instrumentation and software development for data processing, while the ING provided support for telescope operations, and the IAC managed the La Palma site hosting the SuperWASP-North array at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos. Initial funding for the project came from the UK Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC), with major contributions from and additional support from consortium members, enabling the prototype WASP0 testing in 2000 and SuperWASP construction starting in 2003. PPARC's support transitioned to the (STFC) following its formation in 2007. The consortium's governance was formalized through a 2003 agreement that outlined collaborative responsibilities and marked the beginning of SuperWASP camera assembly, ensuring coordinated operations across the institutions. This structure later facilitated brief expansions to select international partners for enhanced coverage. Over time, the core operations have shifted, with the now operating SuperWASP-North and the WASP data centre, and leading operations of WASP-South, under ongoing STFC funding as of 2024.

International Collaborations

The Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) project has established key international partnerships to facilitate follow-up observations and site hosting for its telescopes. The (ESO) provides access to the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) spectrograph and the 1.2-m Euler Telescope at in , enabling precise measurements for confirming planetary masses among WASP candidates. Similarly, the (SAAO) hosts the WASP-South array at since 2006, offering optimal southern sky viewing conditions and logistical support for operations. These facilities, including the CORALIE spectrograph operated by the Geneva Observatory on the Euler Telescope, have been instrumental in follow-ups. WASP maintains active collaborations with international institutions for joint research and observations, notably through numerous co-authored papers with the , where teams have conducted observations of over 1,500 WASP candidates to characterize properties. Additional partnerships include the in , the Observatoire de Haute-Provence in France, the in Belgium (providing access to the robotic ), and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) in , which hosts the SuperWASP-North array on . These alliances extend to space-based assets, such as the European Space Agency's CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS), which has observed WASP-discovered planets like WASP-189b and WASP-103b to refine orbital and atmospheric parameters. More recently, WASP team members have participated in international efforts using NASA's (JWST) for studies like the 2024 mapping of weather patterns on WASP-43b, involving astronomers from multiple countries to analyze phase-curve data. Data sharing forms a of WASP's international engagement, with public releases of data beginning in 2011 and integration into the Archive, which hosts approximately 18 million WASP time-series measurements from 2004 to 2008 for global researcher access. This openness has fostered broader community contributions to validation and analysis. The project's growth includes the addition of as an early member in 2003, which now leads operations of WASP-South in collaboration with other international sites.

Discoveries

Confirmed Exoplanets

The Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) has confirmed nearly 200 exoplanets as of 2025, with the majority being transiting hot s characterized by short orbital periods of less than 10 days. These discoveries represent a significant portion of ground-based transit detections, highlighting WASP's role in identifying close-in giant planets amenable to follow-up observations. Typical properties of WASP-confirmed exoplanets include masses ranging from 0.5 to 2 masses and radii from 1 to 1.5 radii, often exhibiting inflated atmospheres due to intense stellar irradiation. Their host stars are predominantly F, G, and K dwarfs, which provide stable photometric baselines suitable for transit detection. Confirmation of these candidates typically involves measurements to verify planetary masses, as detailed in subsequent follow-up studies. The catalog of WASP exoplanets spans from WASP-1b, discovered in 2006, to WASP-197b as of 2025, encompassing a diverse array of systems. A notable early batch from 2006 to 2009 includes over 20 planets, such as WASP-1b through WASP-22b, which established the survey's efficacy in detecting hot Jupiters shortly after its operational start. Discovery yields peaked between 2008 and 2012 at approximately 10 planets per year, driven by initial refinements in the survey's wide-field imaging capabilities. Subsequent sustained output has been supported by enhancements to the , enabling efficient candidate identification amid growing photometric datasets. In April 2025, the survey announced nine additional hot Jupiters, ranging from WASP-102b to WASP-197b, further demonstrating its ongoing productivity.

Other Objects

In the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) survey, the vast majority of transit-like signals detected in photometric data are false positives, with approximately 95% of candidates ultimately ruled out as non-planetary phenomena. These include eclipsing binaries, which account for about 45.5% of rejections, blends from unresolved multiple star systems at 20.1%, and low-mass eclipsing objects or stellar variability comprising 23.1%. Instrumental artifacts represent a smaller fraction, around 3.3%, while giant stars unsuitable for hosting close-in planets make up 6.8%. A comprehensive of 1,041 such Northern hemisphere false positives from SuperWASP observations highlights the predominance of astrophysical contaminants, emphasizing the need for rigorous follow-up to distinguish genuine transits. Among the non-planetary detections, transiting stand out as rare but significant "other objects" identified by WASP, bridging the gap between planets and stellar companions in the so-called brown dwarf desert. Only a handful have been confirmed, including WASP-30b, a 61 -mass orbiting an F8V star with a 4.16-day period, detected through combined photometry and measurements that revealed its substellar nature above the deuterium-burning limit. Similarly, WASP-128b, with a of approximately 37 Jupiter masses, transits a G0V host every 2.2 days, providing insights into the dynamical evolution of massive companions in short-period orbits. These discoveries underscore the scarcity of such systems, with statistics indicating that brown dwarf transits constitute less than 1% of the WASP candidate sample, reflecting the broader rarity of close-in substellar objects around solar-type stars. Early WASP operations in 2006–2007 demonstrated the challenges of false positive identification through initial follow-up campaigns, where of curves and spectroscopic observations excluded numerous candidates as eclipsing binaries or variable stars. For instance, refined photometric pipelines during this period rejected signals from hierarchical triples and background blends, preventing misinterpretation of non-planetary events. Over time, enhancements to the and selection filters—such as improved centroid and multi-season stacking—have significantly lowered the by better isolating genuine shallow transits from contaminants. These advancements have not only streamlined candidate vetting but also highlighted the survey's role in characterizing the diverse astrophysical phenomena mimicking signals.

Scientific Impact and Follow-up

Confirmation Techniques

The confirmation of transiting exoplanet candidates detected by the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) survey relies primarily on Doppler spectroscopy, which measures the gravitational influence of a potential planet on its host star through periodic variations in the star's radial velocity. This method provides the minimum mass of the candidate (M_p sin i) and helps distinguish true planets from false positives such as eclipsing binary stars or blended light from multiple sources. The key instruments employed for these follow-up observations are the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) spectrograph mounted on the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) 3.6 m telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile, and the CORALIE echelle spectrograph on the 1.2 m Euler Telescope at the same site. These facilities offer high spectral resolution (R ≈ 115,000 for HARPS and R ≈ 60,000 for CORALIE), enabling precise velocity measurements down to a few m/s, essential for detecting the subtle signals from Jupiter-mass planets orbiting solar-type stars. The semi-amplitude K, which quantifies the stellar wobble, is calculated using the relation K=(2πGP)1/3Mpsin⁡iM⋆2/311−e2,K = \left( \frac{2\pi G}{P} \right)^{1/3} \frac{M_p \sin i}{M_\star^{2/3}} \frac{1}{\sqrt{1 - e^2}},
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.