KIC 7917485b: A 12 Jupiter Mass Gas Giant Around an A Class Star in the Habitable Zone

A planet in an 840-d orbit around a Kepler main-sequence A star found from phase modulation of its pulsations

Authors:

Murphy et al

Abstract:

We have detected a 12 MJup planet orbiting in or near the habitable zone of a main-sequence A star via the pulsational phase shifts induced by orbital motion. The planet has an orbital period of 840±20 d and an eccentricity of 0.15. All known planets orbiting main-sequence A stars have been found via the transit method or by direct imaging. The absence of astrometric or radial-velocity detections of planets around these hosts makes ours the first discovery using the orbital motion. It is also the first A star known to host a planet within 1σ of the habitable zone. We find evidence for planets in a large fraction of the parameter space where we are able to detect them. This supports the idea that A stars harbor high-mass planets in wide orbits.