Pi Mensae b
| Extrasolar planet | List of extrasolar planets | |
|---|---|---|
| Parent star | ||
| Star | Pi Mensae | |
| Constellation | Mensa | |
| Right ascension | (α) | 05h 37m 09.89s |
| Declination | (δ) | –80° 28′ 08.84″ |
| Apparent magnitude | (mV) | 5.67 |
| Distance | 59.39 ly (18.21 pc) | |
| Spectral type | G1IV | |
| Orbital elements | ||
| Semimajor axis | (a) | 3.38±0.22[1] AU (506 Gm) |
| 186 mas | ||
| Periastron | (q) | 1.22 AU (182 Gm) |
| Apastron | (Q) | 5.54 AU (830 Gm) |
| Eccentricity | (e) | 0.6405±0.0072[1] |
| Orbital period | (P) | 2151 ± 85[1] d (5.89 ± 0.23[1] y) |
| Argument of periastron |
(ω) | 330.24 ± 0.67[1]° |
| Time of periastron | (T0) | 2,447,820 ± 170[1] JD |
| Semi-amplitude | (K) | 196.4 ± 1.3[1] m/s |
| Physical characteristics | ||
| Minimum mass | (m sin i) | 10.27 ± 0.84[1] MJ (3265 M⊕) |
| Discovery information | ||
| Discovery date | 15 October 2001 | |
| Discoverer(s) | Jones et al.[2] | |
| Discovery method | Doppler spectroscopy | |
| Discovery site |  Anglo-AustralianTelescope | |
| Discovery status | Published | |
| Other designations | ||
| HD 39091 b | ||
| Database references | ||
| Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia | data | |
| SIMBAD | data | |
| Exoplanet Archive | data | |
| Open Exoplanet Catalogue | data | |
Pi Mensae b (π Men b, π Mensae b), also known as HD 39091 b, is an extrasolar planet[1] approximately 59 light-years away in the constellation of Mensa. The planet was announced orbiting the yellow subgiant star Pi Mensae in October 2001.
Detection and discovery
On October 15, 2001, a team of astronomers including Jones, Butler, Tinney, Marcy, Penny, McCarthy, Carter, and Pourbaix announced the discovery of one of the most massive extrasolar planets have yet been observed. It was discovered by the Anglo-Australian Planet Search team, using a Doppler spectrometer mounted on the Anglo-Australian Telescope.
Physical characteristics
Pi Mensae b has a very eccentric orbit and takes 5.89 years to revolve around the star. The semi-major axis of the planet to the star is 3.38 AU while the semi-minor axis is 2.59 AU. This planet passes through the star's habitable zone at periastron (1.21 AU) while at apastron, it passes to beyond Jupiter-Sun distance (5.54 AU). The gravitational influence of this planet would disrupt the orbit of any potentially Earth-like planet.
Pi Mensae b is over ten times more massive than Jupiter,[3] the most massive planet in our solar system. It will have 10 times the surface gravity of Jupiter alone and could be incandescent (glowing). The inclination of the orbit is not known, and it could be a brown dwarf instead.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Butler et al. (2006). "Catalog of Nearby Exoplanets". The Astrophysical Journal 646 (1): 505–522. arXiv:astro-ph/0607493. Bibcode:2006ApJ...646..505B. doi:10.1086/504701.
- ↑ Jones H., Vogt S., Butler P., Marcy G., Fischer D., Pourbaix D., Apps K., & Laughlin G.
- ↑ Jones et al. (2002). "A probable planetary companion to HD 39091 from Anglo-Australian Planet Search". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 333 (4): 871–875. arXiv:astro-ph/0112084. Bibcode:2002MNRAS.333..871J. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05459.x. (web Preprint)
External links
- "HD 39091". Exoplanets. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
- "Pi Mensae". SolStation. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
- "Pi Mensae". Планетные Системы (in Russian). Retrieved 2008-07-28.
Coordinates: 
05h 37m 09.89s, −80° 28′ 08.84″
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