Lines of research: Exoplanetary Systems & Solar System (SEYSS)

Exoplanetary Systems & Solar System (SEYSS)

The area of planetary and solar systems involves several research groups working on Exoplanets, Solar System and Cultural Astronomy. Our main objectives are:

  • The detection and characterization of giant and rocky planets around nearby stars using the most advanced instruments (CARMENES, ESPRESSO, HARPS Norte y Sur, SONG, LCO, MUSCAT2) and space missions (CoRoT, Kepler K2, CHEOPS, TESS and PLATO). The group is particularly interested in the study of terrestrial planets in the habitable zone of their host stars where water can be in liquid form.
  • The characterization of the atmospheres of planets to know their structure and composition, both by transits and direct imaging, using ground-based telescopes such as GTC and space missions such as CHEOPS.
  • Investigate the formation of exoplanet systems by studying the chemical composition of planet host stars, and the dynamical evolution of exoplanets at their early stages of formation.
  • Study the physical properties of different families of minor bodies of the Solar System (asteroids, comets, trans-neptunian objects, etc.) to understand the origin and evolution of Solar System with GTC and space missions such as OSIRIS-REx.
  • The study of ancient cosmologies through cultural astronomy and the defense of cultural heritage through the astronomy.
  • Publication
    Accurate geometric albedo, shape, and size of Hi'iaka from a stellar occultation
    Stellar occultations, when a distant object passes in front of a star and casts a shadow on Earth, are a powerful tool to probe the physical properties of solar...
  • Publication
    Activity of Comet 103P/Hartley 2 at the time of the EPOXI mission fly-by
    Comet 103P/Hartley 2 was observed on November 1-6, 2010, coinciding with the fly-by of the space probe EPOXI. The goal was to connect the large scale phenomena...
  • Publication
    Activity of the Jupiter co-orbital comet P/2019 LD<SUB>2</SUB> (ATLAS) observed with OSIRIS at the 10.4 m GTC
    Context. The existence of comets with heliocentric orbital periods close to that of Jupiter (i.e., co-orbitals) has been known for some time. Comet 295P/LINEAR...
  • Publication
    Ad orientem: Las iglesias románicas del Camino Francés en los reinos de Castilla y León bajo la perspectiva de la Astronomía Cultural*Ad orientem: Romanesque Churches of the French Way in the kingdoms of Castile and Leon from a Cultural Astronomy perspect
    RESUMEN: En este trabajo se examina, desde la perspectiva de la Astronomía Cultural, si las iglesias románicas del Camino de Santiago siguen un patrón de...
  • Publication
    Adding the s-Process Element Cerium to the APOGEE Survey: Identification and Characterization of Ce ii Lines in the H-band Spectral Window
    Nine Ce ii lines have been identified and characterized within the spectral window observed by the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment...
  • Publication
    Additional spectra of asteroid 1996 FG3, backup target of the ESA MarcoPolo-R mission
    Context. Near-Earth binary asteroid (175706) 1996 FG3 is the current backup target of the ESA MarcoPolo-R mission, selected for the study phase of ESA M3...
  • Publication
    Aerosols and Water Ice in Jupiter’s Stratosphere from UV-NIR Ground-based Observations
    Jupiter’s atmosphere has been sounded in transmission from the UV to the IR, as if it were a transiting exoplanet, by observing Ganymede while passing through...
  • Publication
    AGB dust and gas ejecta in extremely metal-poor environments
    We present asymptotic giant branch (AGB) models of metallicity Z = 10-4 and 3 × 10-4, with the aim of understanding how the gas enrichment and the dust...
  • Publication
    AGB Stars and Their Circumstellar Envelopes. I. the VULCAN Code
    The interplay between AGB interiors and their outermost layers, where molecules and dust form, is a problem of high complexity. As a consequence, physical...