Gliese 176 b

Gliese 176 b
Extrasolar planet List of extrasolar planets

Artist's conception of Gliese 176 b, as a hot "Super-Earth".
Parent star
Star Gliese 176
Constellation Taurus
Right ascension (α) 04h 42m 55.7768s
Declination (δ) +18° 57′ 29.417″
Distance 30.7 ly
(9.4 pc)
Spectral type M2.5V
Orbital elements
Semimajor axis (a) 0.066[1] AU
Eccentricity (e) 0
Orbital period (P) 8.7836±.0054[1] d
Time of periastron (T0) 2,454,399.79±.33 JD
Physical characteristics
Mass (m) >8.4[1] M
Temperature (T) ~450[1] K
Discovery information
Discovery date September 7, 2007
Discoverer(s) Endl, Forveille et al.
Detection method radial velocity
Discovery status Published

Gliese 176 b is a super-Earth exoplanet approximately 31 light years away in the constellation of Taurus. This planet orbits very close to its parent red dwarf star Gliese 176 (also called "HD 285968").

The initial announcement confused the planetary periodicity with the stellar periodicity of 40 days, thus giving a 10.24 day period for a 25 Earth-mass planet.[2] Subsequent readings filtered out the star's rotation, giving a more accurate reading of the planet's orbit and minimum mass.

The planet orbits inside the inner magnetosphere of its star. The quoted temperature of 450 K is a "thermal equilibrium" temperature.[1]

It is projected to be dominated by a rocky core, but the true mass is unknown. If the orbit is orientated such that we are viewing it at a nearly face-on angle, the planet may be significantly more massive than the lower limit. If so, it may have attracted a gas envelope like Uranus or Gliese 436 b.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f T. Forveille et al. (2008). "The HARPS search for southern extra-solar planets : XIV. Gl 176b, a super-Earth rather than a Neptune, and at a different period". Astronomy & Astrophysics. arXiv:0809.0750v1. 
  2. ^ Endl et al.; Cochran, William D.; Wittenmyer, Robert A.; Boss, Alan P. (2008). "An m.sin i = 24 Earth Mass Planetary Companion to the Nearby M Dwarf GJ 176". The Astrophysical Journal 673 (2): 1165–1168. Bibcode 2008ApJ...673.1165E. doi:10.1086/524703. 

External links

Coordinates: 04h 42m 55.7768s, +18° 57′ 29.417″