Astronomy:WASP-94
WASP-94 is a binary star system located about 690 light-years (210 parsecs) away in the constellation Microscopium. It consists of two F-type stars separated by 15″, corresponding to a projected separation of 2700 au. Both stars are known to host exoplanets.[1]
The binary system was first observed by John Herschel in 1834 and catalogued as HJ 5234. The designation WASP-94 comes from the Wide Angle Search for Planets, and has been used since the system was found to host planets in 2014.[1] While the two stars have similar spectral types, they differ in elemental abundance – WASP-94A has fewer volatile elements and more refractory elements than WASP-94B.[2]
Planetary system
The two stars host a single known planet each. Both are hot Jupiters, gas giant planets completing orbits around their stars in just a few days.[1]

WASP-94Ab transits its host star, and it has also been detected by the radial velocity method.[1] As a result, both its size and mass are known, which show that it is a low-density planet with a highly inflated radius. It has an equilibrium temperature of 1508±75 K.[3] Its orbit is retrograde and misaligned with the rotation of its host star.[4] The atmosphere of WASP-94Ab appears to be relatively free of clouds, with sodium,[3] water vapor and carbon dioxide being detected.[5]
WASP-94Bb is a non-transiting planet that has been detected only by radial velocity, so it has no measured radius and true mass. Its minimum mass is 62% the mass of Jupiter.[1]
| Companion (in order from star) |
Mass | Semimajor axis (AU) |
Orbital period (days) |
Eccentricity | Inclination | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| b | 0.452+0.035 −0.032 MJ |
0.055±0.001 | 3.9501907+0.0000044 −0.0000030 |
<0.064[6] | 88.7±0.7° | 1.72+0.06 −0.05 RJ |
| Companion (in order from star) |
Mass | Semimajor axis (AU) |
Orbital period (days) |
Eccentricity | Inclination | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| b | ≥0.618+0.028 −0.029 MJ |
0.0335+0.0006 −0.0005 |
2.00839±0.00024 | 0 | — | — |
See also
Other systems with multiple planet-hosting stars:
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Neveu-VanMalle, M. et al. (December 2014). "WASP-94 A and B planets: hot-Jupiter cousins in a twin-star system". Astronomy & Astrophysics 572: A49. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201424744. Bibcode: 2014A&A...572A..49N.
- ↑ Teske, Johanna K.; Khanal, Sandhya; Ramírez, Ivan (March 2016). "The Curious Case of Elemental Abundance Differences in the Dual Hot Jupiter Hosts WASP-94A and B". The Astrophysical Journal 819 (1): 19. doi:10.3847/0004-637X/819/1/19. Bibcode: 2016ApJ...819...19T.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ahrer, E. et al. (March 2022). "LRG-BEASTS: Sodium absorption and Rayleigh scattering in the atmosphere of WASP-94A b using NTT/EFOSC2". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 510 (4): 4857–4871. doi:10.1093/mnras/stab3805. Bibcode: 2022MNRAS.510.4857A.
- ↑ Ahrer, E. et al. (May 2024). "Atmospheric characterization and tighter constraints on the orbital misalignment of WASP-94 A b with HARPS". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 530 (3): 2749–2759. doi:10.1093/mnras/stae1000. Bibcode: 2024MNRAS.530.2749A.
- ↑ Ahrer, Eva-Maria et al. (May 2025). "Tracing the formation and migration history: molecular signatures in the atmosphere of misaligned hot Jupiter WASP-94Ab using JWST NIRSpec/G395H". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 540 (3): 2535–2554. doi:10.1093/mnras/staf819.
- ↑ Bonomo, A. S. et al. (June 2017). "The GAPS Programme with HARPS-N at TNG. XIV. Investigating giant planet migration history via improved eccentricity and mass determination for 231 transiting planets". Astronomy & Astrophysics 602: A107. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201629882. Bibcode: 2017A&A...602A.107B.
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