Properties of Sun‐like Stars with Planets: 51 Pegasi, 47 Ursae Majoris, 70 Virginis, and HD 114762

Abstract

Radial velocity variations have revealed planets orbiting 51 Peg, 47 UMa, and 70 Vir, and a low-mass companion orbiting HD 114762. We analyze parallel records of photometric measurements in Strömgren b and y and Johnson V, R, and I passbands and Ca II H and K fluxes in those stars. In the case of 51 Peg, the high precision of the differential photometric measurements made by the 0.75 m Automatic Photoelectric Telescope and the nonvariability of the star would allow the detection of a transit of a planet as small as Earth (corresponding to an amplitude of 0.0001 mag) if its orbit were nearly coplanar with our line of sight. No transits were observed.