Co-discovery of the transiting exoplanets XO-4b and XO-5b

 
In May 2006, the XO consortium announced its first discovery of a transiting exoplanet, named XO-1b. The discovery attracted a lot of attention, a/o due to the important role played by 4 amateur astronomers - including myself - in the months preceding the discovery announcement. The full story is here. Early May 2007, the second discovery by XO was announced : XO-2b, followed by - merely a few weeks later - XO-3b. Again, the XO Extended Team (ET), consisting of amateur astronomers, had been monitoring the objects intensively in the months before the discovery was made public. 

One year later, in May 2008, we announced the discovery of XO-4b and XO-5b. XO-4b and XO-5b were given the codenames 112p59.0607 and 120p38.2190A resp by the XO/ET team, in the months preceding the discovery announcement. Below are some of my observations of these objects, going back to early 2008.

 

XO 112p59.0607 = XO-4b

R-band observations of XO-4b, obtained at CBA Belgium Observatory in Jan and Feb 2008, 
using a 0.35-m f/6.3 telescope and ST-7XME CCD camera.
 
 

XO 120p38.2190A = XO-5b
 

 R-band observations of XO-5b, obtained at CBA Belgium Observatory on 09 Feb 2008, 
using a 0.35-m f/6.3 telescope and ST-7XME CCD camera.

 

 
 
 

 

 

Copyright © 2008 - Tonny Vanmunster.