WASP-12b: Difference between revisions
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'''WASP-12b''' |
'''WASP-12b''' was an [[extrasolar planet]], discovered by the [[SuperWASP]] planetary [[astronomical transit|transit]] survey orbiting the [[star]] WASP-12. Its discovery was announced on April 1, 2008.<ref name=wasp /> Due to its extremely close orbit to its star, its radius is 79% larger than [[Jupiter]]'s and its mass 41% larger.<ref name="oasis" /> The planet takes only a little over a day to orbit the star, in contrast to 365 days for the [[Earth]] to orbit the [[Sun]]. Its distance from the star is only <sup>1</sup>/<sub>44</sub> the Earth’s distance from the Sun with the eccentricity the same as Jupiter. |
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The planet is so close to WASP-12 that the star's tidal forces are distorting the planet into an egg shape and pulling away its [[atmosphere]] at a rate of about 10<sup>−7</sup> [[Jupiter mass|M<sub>J</sub>]] (about 189 million billion tonnes) per year.<ref>{{Citation |first=Shu-lin |last=Li |first2=N. |last2=Miller |first3=Douglas N. C. |last3=Lin |lastauthoramp=yes |first4=Jonathan J. |last4=Fortney |year=2010 |title=WASP-12b as a prolate, inflated and disrupting planet from tidal dissipation |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=463 |issue=7284 |pages=1054–1056 |doi=10.1038/nature08715 |pmid=20182506 }}.</ref> The so-called "tidal heating", and the proximity of the planet to its star, combine to bring the surface temperature to more than {{convert|2500|K|°C|-2}}. |
The planet is so close to WASP-12 that the star's tidal forces are distorting the planet into an egg shape and pulling away its [[atmosphere]] at a rate of about 10<sup>−7</sup> [[Jupiter mass|M<sub>J</sub>]] (about 189 million billion tonnes) per year.<ref>{{Citation |first=Shu-lin |last=Li |first2=N. |last2=Miller |first3=Douglas N. C. |last3=Lin |lastauthoramp=yes |first4=Jonathan J. |last4=Fortney |year=2010 |title=WASP-12b as a prolate, inflated and disrupting planet from tidal dissipation |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=463 |issue=7284 |pages=1054–1056 |doi=10.1038/nature08715 |pmid=20182506 }}.</ref> The so-called "tidal heating", and the proximity of the planet to its star, combine to bring the surface temperature to more than {{convert|2500|K|°C|-2}}. |
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Revision as of 05:37, 25 May 2010
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WASP-12b was an extrasolar planet, discovered by the SuperWASP planetary transit survey orbiting the star WASP-12. Its discovery was announced on April 1, 2008.[1] Due to its extremely close orbit to its star, its radius is 79% larger than Jupiter's and its mass 41% larger.[2] The planet takes only a little over a day to orbit the star, in contrast to 365 days for the Earth to orbit the Sun. Its distance from the star is only 1/44 the Earth’s distance from the Sun with the eccentricity the same as Jupiter.
The planet is so close to WASP-12 that the star's tidal forces are distorting the planet into an egg shape and pulling away its atmosphere at a rate of about 10−7 MJ (about 189 million billion tonnes) per year.[3] The so-called "tidal heating", and the proximity of the planet to its star, combine to bring the surface temperature to more than 2,500 K (2,200 °C).
On 20 May 2010, the Hubble Space Telescope spotted WASP-12b being consumed by it's star. Despite scientists already being aware that stars can consume planets, this is the first time such an event has been spotted so clearly. [4]
See also
References
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
waspwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
oasiswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Li, Shu-lin; Miller, N.; Lin, Douglas N. C.; Fortney, Jonathan J. (2010), "WASP-12b as a prolate, inflated and disrupting planet from tidal dissipation", Nature, 463 (7284): 1054–1056, doi:10.1038/nature08715, PMID 20182506
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|lastauthoramp=ignored (|name-list-style=suggested) (help). - ^ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/planet-eater.html
External links
Media related to WASP-12b at Wikimedia Commons
- SuperWASP Wide Angle Search for Planets: The Planets, SuperWASP.
- Star-hugging planet is hottest and fastest found, New Scientist.
- BBC News - Hubble spots a planet-eating star
 | This extrasolar-planet-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |