Revolutionary Observations with Advanced Telescopes

In an exhilarating astronomical breakthrough, a team of researchers employed the cutting-edge MuSCAT3 and MuSCAT4 instruments at the Las Cumbres Observatory to capture transits of a planet crossing starspots. Between February and March 2024, they successfully detected these elusive spot-crossing signals, offering a unique glimpse into the temperature dynamics of the starspots.

Starspot Secrets Revealed!

Analysis of the light curves revealed that the starspots are approximately 200 K cooler than the stellar surface temperature of 3150 K, covering around 15% of the star's visible disk. Intriguingly, variations in the transit light curves indicated that these starspots are influenced more by stellar rotation than by their own evolution, showcasing how dynamic this system truly is.

Monitoring Stellar Behavior: A New Insight into Rotation Periods

To dig deeper, the team launched a photometric monitoring campaign using a global network of LCO 1-meter telescopes from December 2024 to March 2025. Measuring the star's brightness fluctuations multiple times per night, they uncovered periodic variations that revealed a stellar rotation period of 11.05 days for the first time.

A Tilted and Enigmatic System

This measured rotation period aligned seamlessly with the shifts in spot positions inferred from their transit observations, allowing researchers to deduce the unique geometric configuration of the system. Astonishingly, they discovered that the stellar spin axis is misaligned with the planet's orbital axis by about 62 degrees, suggesting that TOI-3884 is a highly tilted planetary system. Typically, such extreme tilts are the result of previous gravitational tug-of-wars with massive planets or stellar companions. However, the absence of known companions in this case renders the TOI-3884 system particularly fascinating for astronomers and researchers alike.