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A Nearby Gravitational Lensing Exoplanet Discovered by Citizen Astronomers

Figure: Illustration of the gravitational microlensing event “Kojima-1”. On the left side of the whole image, the two arrows indicate the paths of light from the source star (the very left among the three bright objects) being bent by the gravitational lensing effect of the planetary system Kojima-1L (the middle one), reaching the solar system (on the right). Planetary systems discovered up to now by gravitational lensing (shown in red dots in the whole image) are all located towards the center of the Milky Way (upper right of the whole image) and are more separated than Kojima-1L. The inset image in the lower right is a zoomed-in illustration of the planetary system Kojima-1L. (Credit: the University of Tokyo

Citizen astronomers in Japan happened to discover a “gravitational microlensing event” (a phenomenon where a star has brightening due to gravitational lensing), leading to the revelation that there is a planet (Kojima-1Lb) around the star playing the lens role. Subsequent detailed observations and analyses by a research group including researchers from the University of Tokyo, JAXA Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, and the Astrobiology Center revealed that this planetary system is the closest to Earth among the planetary systems discovered by gravitational lensing events.

Related Links：

The University of Tokyo Press Release
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan Press Release
ISAS Press Release
Kyoto Sangyo University Press Release

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