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Description
The atmospheric composition and vertical structure of the super-Earth GJ 1214b has been a subject of debate since its discovery in 2009. Recent studies have indicated that high-altitude clouds might mask the lower layers. However, some data points that were gathered at different times and facilities do not fit this picture, probably because of a combination of stellar activity and systematic errors. We observed two transits of GJ 1214b with the Large Binocular Camera, the dual-channel camera at the Large Binocular Telescope. For the first time, we simultaneously measured the relative planetary radius k=R_p_/R_*_ at blue and red optical wavelengths (B+R), thus constraining the Rayleigh scattering on GJ 1214b after correcting for stellar activity effects. To the same purpose, a long-term photometric follow-up of the host star was carried out with WiFSIP at STELLA, revealing a rotational period that is significantly longer than previously reported. Our new unbiased estimates of k yield a flat transmission spectrum extending to shorter wavelengths, thus confirming the cloudy atmosphere scenario for GJ 1214b.
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