HW Virginis c
Encyclopedia
HW Virginis c is an extrasolar planet
located approximately 590 light years away in the constellation
of Virgo
, orbiting the 11th magnitude
eclipsing binary star
HW Virginis
. This planet is very massive, at least 8.47 times more than Jupiter
. This is a long-period planet with an orbital revolution of about 9 years and 1 month, orbiting at a distance of 3.62 AU
or about 542 Gm. As it is typical for long-period planets, this planet orbits in an eccentric path. If this planet is located in our solar system, this planet would orbit entirely between the orbits of Mars
and Jupiter
, or in the asteroid belt
. The planet's radius, temperature, and true mass
are not known; the inclination of its orbit is also unknown.
This planet was discovered by Lee and co-discoverers on November 24, 2008. This is the first planet that was discovered by using the eclipse-timing method along with the brown dwarf
HW Virginis b.
Extrasolar planet
An extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, is a planet outside the Solar System. A total of such planets have been identified as of . It is now known that a substantial fraction of stars have planets, including perhaps half of all Sun-like stars...
located approximately 590 light years away in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
of Virgo
Virgo (constellation)
Virgo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for virgin, and its symbol is . Lying between Leo to the west and Libra to the east, it is the second largest constellation in the sky...
, orbiting the 11th magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
eclipsing binary star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
HW Virginis
HW Virginis
HW Virginis, abbreviated HW Vir, is an eclipsing binary system approximately 590 light-years away in the constellation of Virgo. The system comprises an eclipsing B-type subdwarf star and red dwarf star...
. This planet is very massive, at least 8.47 times more than Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
. This is a long-period planet with an orbital revolution of about 9 years and 1 month, orbiting at a distance of 3.62 AU
Astronomical unit
An astronomical unit is a unit of length equal to about or approximately the mean Earth–Sun distance....
or about 542 Gm. As it is typical for long-period planets, this planet orbits in an eccentric path. If this planet is located in our solar system, this planet would orbit entirely between the orbits of Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
and Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
, or in the asteroid belt
Asteroid belt
The asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets...
. The planet's radius, temperature, and true mass
True mass
The term true mass is synonymous with the term mass, but is used in astronomy to differentiate the measured mass of a planet from the lower limit of mass usually obtained from radial velocity techniques...
are not known; the inclination of its orbit is also unknown.
This planet was discovered by Lee and co-discoverers on November 24, 2008. This is the first planet that was discovered by using the eclipse-timing method along with the brown dwarf
Brown dwarf
Brown dwarfs are sub-stellar objects which are too low in mass to sustain hydrogen-1 fusion reactions in their cores, which is characteristic of stars on the main sequence. Brown dwarfs have fully convective surfaces and interiors, with no chemical differentiation by depth...
HW Virginis b.