Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

KELT: The Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope, a Survey for Exoplanets Transiting Bright, Hot Stars

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Handbook of Exoplanets

  • 240 Accesses

Abstract

The KELT project was originally designed as a small-aperture, wide-field photometric survey that would be optimally sensitive to planets transiting bright (V∼8 to 10) stars. This magnitude range corresponded to the gap between the faint magnitude limit where radial velocity surveys were complete, and the bright magnitude limit for transiting planet hosts routinely found by dedicated ground-based transit surveys. Malmquist bias and other factors have also led the KELT survey to focus on discovering planets transiting relatively hot host stars. To date, the survey has discovered 22 transiting hot Jupiters, including some of the brightest transiting planet host stars known to date. Over half of these planets transit rapidly rotating stars with Teff > 6250 K, which had been largely eschewed by both radial velocity and transit surveys, due to the challenge of obtaining precision radial velocities for such stars. The KELT survey has developed a protocol and specialized software for confirming transiting planets around stars rotating as rapidly as ~200 km/s. This chapter reviews the KELT planet discoveries, describes their scientific value, and also briefly discusses the non-exoplanet science produced by the KELT project, especially long-timescale phenomena and preparations for the TESS mission.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alard C (2000) Image subtraction using a space-varying kernel. A&AS 144:363

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Alard C, Lupton RH (1998) A method for optimal image subtraction. ApJ 503:325

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Alonso R, Brown TM, Torres G et al (2004) TrES-1: the transiting planet of a bright K0 V star. ApJL 613:L153

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Alsubai KA, Parley NR, Bramich DM et al (2013) The Qatar exoplanet survey. ACTAA 63:465

    Google Scholar 

  • Ansdell M, Oelkers RJ, Rodriguez JE et al (2018) Identification of young stellar variables with KELT for K2 – II. The Upper Scorpius association. MNRAS 473:1231

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Bakos GA, Noyes RW, Kovacs G et al (2004) Wide-field Millimagnitude photometry with the HAT: a tool for extrasolar planet detection. PASP 116:266

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Beatty TG, Madhusudhan N, Pogge R et al (2017) The broadband and spectrally resolved H-band eclipse of KELT-1b and the role of surface gravity in stratospheric inversions in hot Jupiters. AJ 154:242

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Bieryla A, Collins K, Beatty TG et al (2015) KELT-7b: a hot Jupiter transiting a bright V = 8.54 rapidly rotating F-star. AJ 150:12

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Borucki WJ, Caldwell D, Koch DG et al (2001) The Vulcan photometer: a dedicated photometer for extrasolar planet searches. PASP 113:439

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Burke CJ, Depoy DL, Gaudi BS, Marshall JL (2003) Survey for transiting extrasolar planets in stellar systems (STEPSS): the frequency of planets in NGC 1245. Sci Front Res Extrasolar Planet 294:379

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Cargile PA, James DJ, Pepper J et al (2014) Evaluating Gyrochronology on the zero-age-main-sequence: rotation periods in the southern open cluster Blanco 1 from the KELT-south survey. ApJ 782:29

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Charbonneau D, Brown TM, Latham DW, Mayor M (2000) Detection of planetary transits across a sun-like star. ApJ 529:45

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Collier Cameron A, Guenther E, Smalley B et al (2007) Line-profile tomography of exoplanet transits – II. A gas-giant planet transiting a rapidly rotating A5 star. MNRAS 407:507

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Collins K, Kielkopf J (2013) AstroImageJ: imageJ for astronomy. Astrophysics source code library, record ascl:1309.001

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins KA, Kielkopf JF, Stassun KG, Hessman FV (2017) AstroImageJ: image processing and photometric extraction for ultra-precise astronomical light curves. AJ 153:77

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Gaudi BS, Stassun KG, Collins KA et al (2017) A giant planet undergoing extreme-ultraviolet irradiation by its hot massive-star host. Nature 546:514

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Goobar A, Kromer M, Siverd R et al (2015) Constraints on the origin of the first light from SN 2014J. ApJ 799:106

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Henry GW, Marcy GW, Butler RP, Vogt SS (2000) A transiting “51 Peg-like” planet. ApJ 529:41

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen E (2013) Tapir: a web interface for transit/eclipse observability. Astrophysics source code library, record ascl:1306.007

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson MC, Rodriguez JE, Zhou G et al (2018) KELT-21b: a hot Jupiter transiting the rapidly-rotating metal-poor late-a primary of a likely hierarchical triple system. AJ 155:100

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy GM, Kenworthy MA, Pepper J et al (2017) The transiting dust clumps in the evolved disc of the sun-like UXor RZ Psc. R Soc Open Sci 4:160652

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Konacki M, Torres G, Jha S, Sasselov DD (2003) An extrasolar planet that transits the disk of its parent star. Nature 421:507

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Kovacs G, Zucker S, Mazeh T (2002) A box-fitting algorithm in the search for periodic transits. A&A 391:369

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Kovacs G, Bakos G, Noyes RW (2005) A trend filtering algorithm for wide-field variability surveys. MNRAS 356:557

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Kraft RP (1967) Studies of stellar rotation. V. The dependence of rotation on age among solar-type stars. ApJ 150:551

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Labadie-Bartz J, Pepper J, McSwain MV et al (2017) Photometric variability of the be star population. AJ 153:252

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Labadie-Bartz J, Chojnowski SD, Whelan DG et al (2018) Outbursts and disk variability in be stars. AJ 155:53

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Lund MB, Rodriguez JE, Zhou G et al (2017) KELT-20b: a giant planet with a period of P~3.5 days transiting the V~7.6 early a star HD 185603. AJ 154:194

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Mallen-Ornelas G, Seager S, Yee HKC et al (2003) The EXPLORE project. I. A deep search for transiting extrasolar planets. ApJ 582:1123

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • McCullough PR, Stys JE, Valenti JA et al (2005) The XO project: searching for transiting extrasolar planet candidates. PASP 117:783

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Mochejska BJ, Stanek KZ, Sasselov DD, Szentgyorgyi AH et al (2002) Planets in stellar clusters extensive search. I. Discovery of 47 low-amplitude variables in the metal-rich cluster NGC 6791 with Millimagnitude image subtraction photometry. AJ 123:3460

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Oelkers RJ, Rodriguez JE, Stassun KG et al (2018) Variability properties of four million sources in the TESS input catalog observed with the Kilodegree extremely little telescope survey. AJ 155:39

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Osborn HP, Rodriguez JE, Kenworthy MA et al (2017) Periodic eclipses of the young star PDS 110 discovered with WASP and KELT photometry. MNRAS 471:740

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Pepper J, Gould A, Depoy DL (2003) Using all-sky surveys to find planetary transits. ACTAA 53:213

    Google Scholar 

  • Pepper J, Gould A, Depoy DL (2004) KELT: the Kilodegree extremely little telescope. Search Other Worlds 713:185

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Pepper J, Pogge R, Depoy DL et al (2007) Early results from the KELT transit survey. Transiting extrapolar planets workshop ASP conference series, vol 366, p 27

    Google Scholar 

  • Pepper J, Kuhn RB, Siverd R, James D, Stassun K (2012) The KELT-south telescope. PASP 124:230

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Pepper J, Rodriguez JE, Collins KA et al (2017) KELT-11b: a highly inflated sub-Saturn exoplanet transiting the V = 8 subgiant HD 93396. AJ 153:215

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Pollacco DL, Skillen I, Collier Cameron A et al (2006) The WASP project and the SuperWASP cameras. PASP 118:1407

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez JE, Pepper J, Stassun K et al (2013) Occultation of the T Tauri star RW Aurigae A by its tidally disrupted disk. AJ 146:112

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez JE, Reed PA, Siverd RJ et al (2016a) Recurring occultations of RW Aurigae by coagulated dust in the tidally disrupted circumstellar disk. AJ 151:29

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez JE, Stassun KG, Cargile P et al (2016b) DM Ori: a young star occulted by a disturbance in its protoplanetary disk. ApJ 831:74

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez JE, Stassun KG, Lund MB et al (2016c) An extreme analogue of ɛ Aurigae: an M-giant eclipsed every 69 years by a large opaque disk surrounding a small hot source. AJ 151:123

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez JE, Ansdell M, Oelkers RJ et al (2017a) Identification of young stellar variables with KELT for K2. I. Taurus dippers and rotators. ApJ 848:97

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez JE, Zhou G, Cargile PA et al (2017b) The mysterious Dimmings of the T Tauri star V1334 Tau. ApJ 836:209

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Siverd RJ, Beatty TG, Pepper J et al (2012) KELT-1b: a strongly irradiated, highly inflated, short period, 27 Jupiter-mass companion transiting a mid-F star. ApJ 761:123

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Siverd RJ, Goobar A, Stassun KG, Pepper J (2015) Observations of the M82 SN 2014J with the Kilodegree extremely little telescope. ApJ 799:105

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Siverd RJ, Collins KA, Zhou G et al (2018) KELT-19Ab: A P ∼ 4.6-day hot jupiter transiting a likely am star with a distant stellar companion. AJ 155:35

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Temple LY, Hellier C, Albrow MD et al (2017) WASP-167b/KELT-13b: joint discovery of a hot Jupiter transiting a rapidly rotating F1V star. MNRAS 471:2743

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Terrien RC, Mahadevan S, Deshpande R et al (2014) New red jewels in coma Berenices. ApJ 782:61

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Udalski A, Szymanski M, Kaluzny J, Kubiak M, Mateo M (1992) The optical gravitational lensing experiment. ACTAA 42:253

    Google Scholar 

  • Udalski A, Paczynski B, Zebrun K, Szymanski M et al (2002a) The optical gravitational lensing experiment. Search for planetary and low-luminosity object transits in the galactic disk. Results of 2001 campaign. AcA 52:1

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Udalski A, Zebrun K, Szymanski M, Kubiak M et al (2002b) The optical gravitational lensing experiment. Search for planetary and low-luminosity object transits in the galactic disk. Results of 2001 campaign – supplement. AcA 42:115

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Udalski A, Pietrzynski G, Szymanski M, et al (2003) The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment. Additional planetary and low-luminosity object transits from the OGLE 2001 and 2002 observational campaigns. AcA 53:133

    Google Scholar 

  • von Braun K, Lee B, Mallen-Ornelas G et al (2003) EXPLORE/OC: a search for planetary transits in the field of NGC 2660. ArXiv:astro-ph/0312217

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolszczan A, Frail DA (1992) A planetary system around the millisecond pulsar PSR1257 + 12. Nature 355:145

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Wright JT, Marcy GW, Howard AW, Johnson JA et al (2011) The frequency of hot Jupiters orbiting nearby solar-type stars. PASP 123:412

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou G, Rodriguez JE, Collins KA et al (2016) KELT-17b: a hot-Jupiter transiting an A-star in a misaligned orbit detected with doppler tomography. AJ 152:136

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA

    Joshua Pepper

  2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

    Keivan G. Stassun

  3. Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    B. S. Gaudi

Authors
  1. Joshua Pepper
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Keivan G. Stassun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. B. S. Gaudi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joshua Pepper .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias , La Laguna, Spain

    Hans J. Deeg

  2. Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, La Laguna, Spain

    Juan Antonio Belmonte

Section Editor information

  1. Graduate School of Science, Department of Astronomy, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Norio Narita

  2. Exoplanet Detection Project Office, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Tokyo, Japan

    Norio Narita

  3. Exoplanet Detection Project Office, Astrobiology Center, Tokyo, Japan

    Norio Narita

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Pepper, J., Stassun, K.G., Gaudi, B.S. (2018). KELT: The Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope, a Survey for Exoplanets Transiting Bright, Hot Stars. In: Deeg, H., Belmonte, J. (eds) Handbook of Exoplanets . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30648-3_128-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30648-3_128-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-30648-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-30648-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation