Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovery site | Kepler Space Observatory, La Silla, Chile |
Discovery date | 2016 |
Transit | |
Orbital characteristics | |
0.241 +0.019 −0.017[1] AU | |
Eccentricity | 0[1] |
41.6855 +0.0030 −0.0031[1] d | |
Inclination | 89.55+0.17 −0.14[1] |
Star | BD+20°594 |
Physical characteristics | |
2.23+0.14 −0.11[1] R🜨 | |
Mass | 16.3 +6.0 −6.1[1] ME |
Mean density | 7.890+3.400 −3.100 g cm−3 |
Temperature | 546 K (273 °C; 523 °F) +19 −18 K |
BD+ 20° 594b (also known as K2-56b[1]) is a massive exoplanet discovered by the Kepler spacecraft in collaboration with the HARPS spectrometer at La Silla in Chile.
Naming
[edit]BD+20 594b indicates that the planet circles a star found in the Bonner Durchmusterung catalogue, BD +20° 594, the 594th entry in the +20-degree zone (declinations from +19 to +20 degrees),[2] and that it is the first planet discovered orbiting that star.
K2-56b indicates that the planet circles a star catalogued in the Kepler 2 mission catalogue (part of the extended K2 Kepler mission), the 56th one in the catalogue,[3] and that it is the first planet discovered orbiting that star.
Planet
[edit]With a radius of 2.2 R🜨 and a mass of 16.31 M🜨, BD+20594b is substantially smaller than Neptune.[4] Taking the estimates of its radius and mass at face value, the composition of the planet would be rocky, hence making it classified as a mega-Earth. BD+20594b's exact composition is still unknown.
The planet was discovered on January 28, 2016 by astrophysicist Néstor Espinoza and his team from the Catholic University of Chile, using data from the two-wheeled Kepler mission (K2). It orbits a K-type star 496.08 light years away in the constellation Taurus.[5]
It is believed that planets with a radius greater than 1.6 times the Earth's are not usually rocky,[6] making BD+20594b an exception to this rule.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "CONFIRMED PLANET OVERVIEW PAGE". NASA Exoplanet Archive. NASA. Retrieved 2016-08-11.
- ^ "Dictionary of Nomenclature of Celestial Objects: Details on Acronym: BD". SIMBAD. Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg. 2020-09-20. Archived from the original on 2020-10-06.
- ^ "K2 Confirmed Planet and Candidate Naming Policy". NASA Exoplanet Archive. NASA. 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
- ^ "Planet BD+20 594 b". Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia. 2016.
- ^ Espinoza, Néstor; Brahm, Rafael; Jordán, Andrés; Jenkins, James S; Rojas, Felipe; Jofré, Paula; Mädler, Thomas; Rabus, Markus; Chanamé, Julio; Pantoja, Blake; Soto, Maritza G; Morzinski, Katie M; Males, Jared R; Ward-Duong, Kimberly; Close, Laird M (2016). "Discovery and Validation of a High-Density sub-Neptune from the K2 Mission". The Astrophysical Journal. 830 (1): 43. arXiv:1601.07608. Bibcode:2016ApJ...830...43E. doi:10.3847/0004-637X/830/1/43. S2CID 119118301.
- ^ Rogers, Leslie A; Brahm, Rafael; Jordán, Andrés; Jenkins, James S; Rojas, Felipe; Jofré, Paula; Mädler, Thomas; Rabus, Markus; Chanamé, Julio; Pantoja, Blake; Soto, Maritza G; Morzinski, Katie M; Males, Jared R; Ward-Duong, Kimberly; Close, Laird M (2015). "Most 1.6 Earth-radius Planets are Not Rocky". The Astrophysical Journal. 801 (1): 41. arXiv:1407.4457. Bibcode:2015ApJ...801...41R. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/801/1/41. S2CID 9472389.
External links
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