Iota Horologii

Iota Horologii

Digital Sky Survey image of the star Iota Horologii.
Credit: Digital Sky Survey/VirGO
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0
Constellation Horologium
Right ascension 02h 42m 33.47s[1]
Declination −50° 48′ 01.1″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) +5.40
Characteristics
Spectral type G0Vp
B−V color index 0.57
Variable type none
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)15.5 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: 332.82 ± 0.19[1] mas/yr
Dec.: 218.74 ± 0.18[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)58.25 ± 0.22[1] mas
Distance56.0 ± 0.2 ly
(17.17 ± 0.06 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)4.27
Details
Mass1.25 ± 0.01[2] M☉
Radius1.16 ± 0.04[3] R☉
Luminosity1.64 ± 0.05[3] L☉
Temperature6,080[3] K
Metallicity [Fe/H]0.14–0.19[2] dex
Rotation8.6 days
Age0.625[2] Gyr
Other designations
Gliese 108, HD 17051 HIP 12653, HR 810
Database references
SIMBADdata

Iota Horologii (ι Hor, ι Horologii) is a solar twin, yellow dwarf star approximately 56 light-years away[1] in the Horologium constellation. The star is classified as a G0Vp[4] yellow dwarf (it has previously been classified as G3 and a subgiant [IV]). It has a mass and radius larger than the Sun, and is about 50% more luminous.

In 1999, a planet of the star was discovered.[5] Because the planet orbits in a near Earth orbit, Iota Horologii was ranked 69th in the list of candidates for NASA's planned Terrestrial Planet Finder mission. In 2000, a dust disc was announced around the star, but this was later determined to be an instrumental artifact.[6]

Distance and visibility

Since Iota Horologii is in the minor constellation of Horologium and is quite dim in the sky, it has not been given a traditional name. It lies roughly between the stars Eta Horologii and R Horologii (though it is not close to them in real space).

Iota Horologii (ι) in the constellation of Horologium.

In its current position, Iota Horologii is closest to the star Chi Eridani (a yellow subgiant), approximately 7 light-years away. The closest planetary systems to Iota Horologii are HD 10647 (a yellow dwarf), approximately 9 light-years away, and Epsilon Reticuli (an orange subgiant), approximately 16 light-years away. Other star systems close to Iota Horologii include Nu Phoenicis and Zeta Reticuli.[4]

Physical properties

Spectrographic analysis indicates the star must have formed together with the stars of the Hyades cluster (~625 million years ago) but must have slowly drifted away, being presently more than 130 light-years away from its original birthplace. This also means that the amount of metals present in the star is due to the original cloud from which it formed and not because it engulfed planetary material.[2]

Measurements of magnetic activity with the 1.5 m telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory show that the star has a 1.6 year magnetic activity cycle which is the shortest cycle measured so far for a solar like star. The sun by comparison has an 11 year magnetic activity cycle.[7]

Planetary system

Iota Horologii b is believed to be Jupiter-sized.[5] The planet's discovery was the result of a survey of forty stars that began in November 1992.[8]

Stability analysis reveals that the orbits of Earth-sized planets located in the planet's trojan points would be stable for long periods of time.[9]

Based on residuals in the radial velocity curve, a planet in an eccentric orbit with a period of approximately 600 days was proposed, but this was not confirmed and it seems likely that the effect was due to activity on Iota Horologii itself.[8]

The Iota Horologii planetary system[10]
Companion
(in order from star)		 Mass Semimajor axis
(AU)		 Orbital period
(days)		 Eccentricity Inclination Radius
b ≥2.48 ± 0.08 MJ 0.96 ± 0.05 307.2 ± 0.3 0.18 ± 0.03 — —

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 van Leeuwen, F. (2007). "Validation of the new Hipparcos reduction". Astronomy and Astrophysics 474 (2): 653–664. arXiv:0708.1752. Bibcode:2007A&A...474..653V. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20078357. Vizier catalog entry
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Vauclair, S. et al. (2008). "The exoplanet-host star iota Horologii: an evaporated member of the primordial Hyades cluster". Astronomy and Astrophysics 482 (2): L5–L8. arXiv:0803.2029v1. Bibcode:2008A&A...482L...5V. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20079342.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bruntt, H. et al. (July 2010), "Accurate fundamental parameters for 23 bright solar-type stars", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 405 (3): 1907–1923, arXiv:1002.4268, Bibcode:2010MNRAS.405.1907B, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.16575.x
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Iota Horologii". SolStation. Retrieved May 28, 2008.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Extrasolar Giant Planet in Earth-like Orbit" (Press release). Garching, Germany: European Southern Observatory. July 29, 1999. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Retracted in August 2001: ADONIS Discovers Dust Disk around a Star with a Planet" (Press release). Garching, Germany: European Southern Observatory. October 13, 2000. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  7. ↑ Metcalfe, T. S. et al. (2010). "Discovery of a 1.6 Year Magnetic Activity Cycle in the Exoplanet Host Star ι Horologii". The Astrophysical Journal Letters 723 (2): L213–L217. arXiv:1009.5399. Bibcode:2010ApJ...723L.213M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/723/2/L213.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kürster, M. et al. (2000). "An extrasolar giant planet in an Earth-like orbit. Precise radial velocities of the young star iota Horologii = HR 810". Astronomy and Astrophysics 353 (3): L33–L36. Bibcode:2000A&A...353L..33K.
  9. ↑ Schwarz, R. et al. (2007). "Survey of the stability region of hypothetical habitable Trojan planets". Astronomy and Astrophysics 474 (3): 1023–1029. Bibcode:2007A&A...474.1023S. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20077994.
  10. ↑ Zechmeister, M. et al. (2013). "The planet search programme at the ESO CES and HARPS. IV. The search for Jupiter analogues around solar-like stars". Astronomy and Astrophysics. arXiv:1211.7263. Bibcode:2013A&A...552A..78Z. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201116551.

External links

Coordinates: 02h 42m 31.65s, −50° 48′ 12.29″