Astronomers have found an exoplanet at a record-high double star – N + 1

sunset on Tatooine

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope / Lucasfilm Ltd. / 20th Century Fox

Astronomers from Goddard Space Flight Center and the University of San Diego have discovered the largest known exoplanet, circulating around binary stars. The planet, called Kepler-1647b is similar in size and mass of Jupiter and is located in the habitable zone of the system. Most likely the object refers to gas giants, and therefore can not support life. About his discovery, scientists reported at a seminar of the American Astronomical Society, summarized the report says a press release of the University of San Diego. The study authors accepted for publication in the journal Astrophysical Journal (preprint).

Exoplanet was investigated as part of the main phase of the mission of the telescope “Kepler”. Year on Kepler-1647b lasts about 1100 days (about three Earth years), so for the time of transit telescope observed only three times. This complicated the confirmation of its status as exoplanets, but astronomers have organized additional system monitoring via a network of small telescopes KELT Follow-Up Network. Using computer modeling the authors refined orbital parameters, as well as the size and weight of the Kepler-1647b. The radius of the gas giant was close to the Jupiter, and the weight -. 0.87 to 2.15 Jupiter masses

Scientists note that the exoplanet stands out among those already discovered objects in binary stars. Most of them have orbits close to the luminaries of the system. Kepler-1647b on the other hand, has a record long period of treatment.

Comparison Kepler-1647b with other known exoplanets, circulating around binary systems

Lynette Cook

The dual system, which handles about Kepler-1647b, is 3.7 thousand light years from Earth. It is composed of two stars, one of which is slightly larger than the Sun, and the other – a little less. However, stars form eclipsing variable system at intervals of 11 days.

Rotation of Kepler-16b

NASA

The first confirmed exoplanet, orbiting around a binary star became Kepler-16b. It has a mass of less than one third the mass of Jupiter, the duration of the year on the exoplanet – 229 days. Astronomers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics informally named it “Tatooine” – in honor of the planet from the epic “Star Wars”, which grew up Anakin Skywalker

Vladimir Korolev

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