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The ExoClock project updated transit data for 620 exoplanets, increasing precision tenfold.
Abstract
An updated ephemeris catalog for 620 exoplanets is presented, based on the integration of 30,000 measurements from ground-based (ExoClock network) and space telescopes (Kepler, K2, TESS), along with literature data. The catalog includes 277 TESS planets that require special observation strategies due to shallow transit depths or bright host stars. It is shown that using large telescopes and synchronous observations with multiple small instruments enables monitoring of such challenging objects. For 45% of the planets, the ephemerides have been substantially corrected; the accuracy of transit time predictions improved by an order of magnitude. The joint analysis revealed new planets with transit timing variations (TTVs), highlighting the importance of dense observational coverage. The project, originally created to support ESA's Ariel mission, now extends far beyond it and operates under open science principles: all tools and products are available to the community. This promotes the democratization of science, improves result quality, and enables efficient observation planning on large telescopes.
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A bus schedule drifts: if you don't check it, you'll miss your ride. Planets around other stars have the same problem – their crossings of the star's disk gradually shift. The ExoClock project pooled 30,000 observations from Earth and space to refine the schedule for 620 distant worlds. For 45% of the planets, transits were found to be off by hours.
The fussiest ones – 277 targets of the TESS mission – whip across the star in minutes or get lost in its glare. To spot them, astronomers synchronized dozens of small telescopes – like photographers trying to catch a group smile. The result: for 45% of planets, the transit schedule got an update, and the timing precision jumped tenfold. Some of them show transit timing variations – they get periodically nudged by the invisible gravity of neighbors, revealing hidden worlds.
Open workshop: all data and tools are available to anyone – from a scientist to a schoolchild.
Now James Webb and other giant telescopes can schedule their observations with surgical precision and never miss the moment when a planet steps into the light, allowing us to study its atmosphere.
🎯 Prediction accuracy improved 10-fold: now transit times can be forecast with an error of minutes, not hours.
