Astronomy:BD+20 594b

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Short description: Extrasolar planet in the constellation Aries
BD +20° 594 b
Discovery
Discovery siteKepler Space Observatory, La Silla, Chile
Discovery date2016
Transit
Orbital characteristics
0.241 +0.019−0.017[1] AU
Eccentricity0[1]
Orbital period41.6855 +0.0030−0.0031[1] d
Inclination89.55+0.17
−0.14
[1]
StarBD+20°594
Physical characteristics
Mean radius2.23+0.14
−0.11
[1] R
Mass16.3 +6.0−6.1[1] M
Mean density7.890+3.400
−3.100
g cm−3
Physics546 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

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); 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; and that it is the first planet discovered orbiting that star.

Planet

With a radius of 2.2 R🜨 and a mass of 16.31 M🜨, BD+20594b is substantially smaller than Neptune.[2] 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.[3]

It is believed that planets with a radius greater than 1.6 times the Earth's are not usually rocky,[4] making BD+20594b an exception to this rule.

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "CONFIRMED PLANET OVERVIEW PAGE". NASA. http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/DisplayOverview/nph-DisplayOverview?objname=k2-56+b&type=CONFIRMED_PLANET. 
  2. "Planet BD+20 594 b". Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia. https://exoplanet.eu/catalog/bd_20_594_b--2546/. 
  3. Espinoza, Néstor; Brahm, Rafael; Jordán, Andrés; Jenkins, James S; Rojas, Felipe; Jofré, Paula; Mädler, Thomas; Rabus, Markus et al. (2016). "Discovery and Validation of a High-Density sub-Neptune from the K2 Mission". The Astrophysical Journal 830 (1): 43. doi:10.3847/0004-637X/830/1/43. Bibcode2016ApJ...830...43E. 
  4. Rogers, Leslie A; Brahm, Rafael; Jordán, Andrés; Jenkins, James S; Rojas, Felipe; Jofré, Paula; Mädler, Thomas; Rabus, Markus et al. (2015). "Most 1.6 Earth-radius Planets are Not Rocky". The Astrophysical Journal 801 (1): 41. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/801/1/41. Bibcode2015ApJ...801...41R. 

External links

Coordinates: Sky map 03h 34m 36.23s, +20° 35′ 57.2″