In order to attract students to the radio universe, we have constructed a three-element radio interferometer in the National Youth Space Center, Goheung, Korea. It consists of three 1.8 m off-axis parabola antennas with driving systems, sideband separation receivers operating in 12 GHz, a narrow band digitizer, and correlation software. We have used as many commercial products as possible to reduce development costs. The maximum separation of 20 m gives an angular resolution of ∼4′, and the shortest baseline of 3.8 m prevents a serious missing flux. Fringes are detected for several radio sources, including the sun and Cas A. After a rough relative calibration, we have derived visibilities for the sun, whose amplitudes are decreasing for longer baselines. We have made a solar image using the visibility amplitudes and closure phases, referring to the 17 GHz image by Nobeyama Radioheliograph. Developing a flexible real-time correlator seems most crucial if this kind of the system is to be used for more rigorous scientific studies.

This paper is written as a follow-up observations to reinterpret the radial velocity (RV) of HD 36384, where the existence of planetary systems is known to be ambiguous. In giants, it is, in general, difficult to distinguish the signals of planetary companions from those of stellar activities. Thus, known exoplanetary giant hosts are relatively rare. We, for many years, have obtained RV data in evolved stars using the high-resolution, fiber-fed Bohyunsan Observatory Echelle Spectrograph (BOES) at the Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory (BOAO). Here, we report the results of RV variations in the M giant HD 36384. We have found two significant periods of 586 d and 490 d. Considering the orbital stability, it is impossible to have two planets at so close orbits. To determine the nature of the RV variability variations, we analyze the HIPPARCOS photometric data, some indicators of stellar activities, and line profiles. A significant period of 580 d was revealed in the HIPPARCOS photometry. H𝛼 EW variations also show a meaningful period of 582 d. Thus, the period of 586 d may be closely related to the rotational modulations and/or stellar pulsations. On the other hand, the other significant period of 490 d is interpreted as the result of the orbiting companion. Our orbital fit suggests that the companion was a planetary mass of 6.6 𝑀J and is located at 1.3 AU from the host.

We have been conducting a exoplanet search survey using Bohyunsan Observatory Echelle Spectrograph (BOES) for the last 18 years. We present the detection of exoplanet candidate in orbit around HD 18438 from high-precision radial velocity (RV) mesurements. The target was already reported in 2018 (Bang et al. 2018). They conclude that the RV variations with a period of 719 days are likely to be caused by the pulsations because the Lomb-Scargle periodogram of HIPPARCOS photometric and Hα EW variations for HD 18438 show peaks with periods close to that of RV variations and there were no correlations between bisectors and RV measurements. However, the data were not sufficient to reach a firm conclusion. We obtained more RV data for four years. The longer time baseline yields a more accurate determination with a revised period of 803 ± 5 days and the planetary origin of RV variations with a minimum planetary companion mass of 21 ± 1MJup. Our current estimate of the stellar parameters for HD 18438 makes it currently the largest star with a planetary companion.

We report the detection of exoplanet candidates in orbits around HD 60292 and HD 112640 from a radial velocity (RV) survey. The stars exhibit RV variations with periods of 4953 days and 6136 days, respectively. These detections are part of the Search for Exoplanets around Northern Circumpolar Stars (SENS) survey using the ber-fed Bohyunsan Observatory Echelle Spectrograph installed at the 1.8-m telescope of the Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory in Korea. The aim of the survey is to search for planetary or substellar companions. We argue that the periodic RV variations are not related to surface inhomogeneities; rather, Keplerian motions of planetary companions are the most likely interpretation. Assuming stellar masses of 1:7  0:2M⊙ (HD 60292) and 1:8  0:2M⊙ (HD 112640), we obtain minimum planetary companion masses of 6:5  1:0MJup and 5:0  1:0MJup, and periods of 495:4  3:0 days and 613:2  5:8 days, respectively.

Detecting exoplanets around giant stars sheds light on the later-stage evolution of planetary systems. We observed the M giant HD 18438 and the K giant HD 158996 as part of a Search for Exoplanets around Northern circumpolar Stars (SENS) and obtained 38 and 24 spectra from 2010 to 2017 using the high-resolution Bohyunsan Observatory Echelle Spectrograph (BOES) at the 1.8m telescope of Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory in Korea. We obtained precise RV measurements from the spectra and found long-period radial velocity (RV) variations with period 719.0 days for HD 18438 and 820.2 days for HD 158996. We checked the chromospheric activities using Ca ii H and H lines, HIPPARCOS photometry and line bisectors to identify the origin of the observed RV variations. In the case of HD 18438, we conclude that the observed RV variations with period 719.0 days are likely to be caused by the pulsations because the periods of HIPPARCOS photometric and H EW variations for HD 18438 are similar to that of RV variations in Lomb-Scargle periodogram, and there are no correlations between bisectors and RV measurements. In the case of HD 158996, on the other hand, we did not find any similarity in the respective periodograms nor any correlation between RV variations and line bisector variations. In addition, the probability that the real rotational period can be as longer than the RV period for HD 158996 is only about 4.3%. Thus we conclude that observed RV variations with a period of 820.2 days of HD 158996 are caused by a planetary companion, which has the minimum mass of 14.0 MJup, the semi-major axis of 2.1 AU, and eccentricity of 0.13 assuming the stellar mass of 1.8 M⊙. HD 158996 is so far one of the brightest and largest stars to harbor an exoplanet candidate.