SIMBAD references

Spot-crossing transits offer a unique opportunity to probe spot properties such as temperature, size, and surface distribution. TOI-3884 is a rare system in which spot-crossing features are persistently observed during every transit. This is due to its unusual configuration: a nearly polar-orbit super-Neptune transits a pole-on mid-M dwarf, repeatedly crossing a polar spot. However, previous studies have reported discrepant values in key system parameters, such as stellar inclination and obliquity. To address this, we conducted multiband, multiepoch transit observations of TOI-3884 b using the MuSCAT instrument series, along with photometric monitoring with the Las Cumbres Observatory 1 m telescopes/Sinistro. We detected time-dependent variations in the spot-crossing signals, indicating that the spot is not exactly on the pole. From the monitoring data, we measured a stellar rotation period of $11.04{3}_{-0.053}^{+0.054}$ days with a modulation amplitude of ∼5% in the r band, consistent with the time variability in the spot-crossing features. Our analysis reconciles previous discrepancies and improves the constraints on the parameters of the system geometry (${i}_{\star }=139.{9}_{-2.0}^{+1.2}$ deg and $\lambda =41.{0}_{-9.0}^{+3.7}$ deg) and those of the spot properties (spot radius of $0.42{5}_{-0.011}^{+0.018}\,{R}_{\star }$ and a spot-photosphere temperature difference of $20{0}_{-9}^{+11}$ K). These results provide a critical context for interpreting upcoming transmission spectroscopy of TOI-3884 b, as well as yielding new insights into the magnetic activity and spin-orbit geometry of M dwarfs.