16 Cygni Bb
Template:Short description Template:Good article Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 16 Cygni Bb or HD 186427 b is an extrasolar planet approximately Script error: No such module "convert". away in the constellation of Cygnus.[1] The planet was discovered orbiting the Sun-like star 16 Cygni B, one of two solar-mass (Template:Solar mass) components of the triple star system 16 Cygni in 1996.[2] It orbits its star once every 799 days and was the first eccentric Jupiter and planet in a double star system to be discovered. The planet is abundant in lithium.[3]
Discovery
On the 22nd of October 1996, the discovery of a planetary-mass companion to the star 16 Cygni B was announced, with a mass at least 1.68 times that of Jupiter (Template:Jupiter mass). At the time, it had the highest orbital eccentricity of any known planet. The discovery was made by measuring the star's radial velocity.[1][4]
As the inclination of the orbit cannot be directly measured and as no dynamic model of the system was then published, only a lower limit on the mass could then be determined.[5][6]
Orbit
Unlike the planets in the Solar System, the planet's orbit is highly elliptical, and its distance varies from Script error: No such module "convert". at periastron to Script error: No such module "convert". at apastron.[7] This high eccentricity may have been caused by tidal interactions in the binary star system, and the planet's orbit may vary chaotically between low and high-eccentricity states over a period of tens of millions of years.[8]
Preliminary astrometric measurements in 2001 suggested the orbit of 16 Cygni Bb may be highly inclined with respect to our line of sight (at around 173°).[9] This would mean the object's mass may be around Template:Jupiter mass; the dividing line between planets and brown dwarfs is at Template:Jupiter mass. However these measurements were later proved useful only for upper limits.[10]
Physical characteristics
Because the planet has only been detected indirectly by measurements of its parent star, properties such as its radius, composition, and temperature are unknown.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
A mathematical study in 2012 showed that a mass of about Template:Jupiter mass would be most stable in this system.[5] This would make the body a true planet.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
The planet's highly eccentric orbit means the planet would experience extreme seasonal effects. Despite this, simulations suggest that an Earth-like moon, should it have formed in an orbit so close to the parent star, would be able to support liquid water at its surface for part of the year.[11]
See also
References
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External links
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