Beta Pictoris c

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Beta Pictoris c
Discovery
Discovered by Lagrange et al. [1]
Discovery site La Silla Observatory
Discovery date19 August 2019 [1]
Radial velocity method
Orbital characteristics [2]
2.680+0.016
−0.015  AU
Eccentricity 0.314+0.024
−0.034
3.266+0.015
−0.012  yr
Inclination 88.947°+0.083°
−0.091°
31.081°+0.060°
−0.048°
243.890°+2.201°
−3.326°
Semi-amplitude 137.999+16.442
−15.079  m/s
Star Beta Pictoris
Physical characteristics
Mean radius
1.2±0.1  RJ [3]
Mass 10.139+1.175
−1.031  MJ [2]
Temperature 1250±50  K [3]

    Beta Pictoris c (abbreviated as β Pic c) is the second exoplanet discovered orbiting the young star Beta Pictoris, located approximately 63 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Pictor. Its mass is around nine times that of Jupiter, and it orbits at around 2.7 astronomical units (AU) from Beta Pictoris, about 3.5 times closer to its parent star than Beta Pictoris b. [1] It has an orbital period of 1,200 days (3.3 years). [1] The orbit of Beta Pictoris c is moderately eccentric, with an eccentricity of 0.24. [4] [5]

    Contents

    This exoplanet is notable for having been detected by three different methods: initially radial velocity, [1] then direct imaging [3] and astrometry. [6]

    Physical characteristics

    Mass and radius

    Beta Pictoris c is a super-Jupiter, an exoplanet that has a radius and mass greater than that of the planet Jupiter. It has a mass of around 10 Jupiter masses (MJ) [1] and a radius of about 1.2 times that of Jupiter. [3]

    Host star

    The planet orbits an A-type main sequence star named Beta Pictoris. The star has a mass of 1.75 solar masses (M☉) and a radius of 1.8 solar radii (R☉). It has a surface temperature of 8056 K and is only 12 million years old. [7] It is slightly metal-rich, with a metallicity (Fe/H) of 0.06, or 112% of that found in the Sun. [8] Its luminosity (L☉) is 8.7 times that of the Sun.

    Orbit

    Beta Pictoris c orbits at around 2.7 astronomical units (400 million kilometres) from Beta Pictoris, about 3.5 times closer than Beta Pictoris b. [5] It has an orbital period of 1,200 days (3.3 years). [1]

    Discovery

    Beta Pictoris c was detected indirectly, through 10 years of observation [9] of radial velocity data from the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) spectroscope on the European Southern Observatory's ESO 3.6 m Telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile by a worldwide team led by Anne-Marie Lagrange, as the discovery of the planet was publicly announced in August 2019. [1] This discovery was described as being able to help scientists further understand the formation of planetary systems and their evolution in the early stages. [4] In October 2020, new images of the exoplanet were revealed. [10]

    The European Southern Observatory confirmed the presence of Beta Pictoris c, on 6 October 2020, through the use of optical interferometry. [3] With a semi-major axis of approximatively 2.7 astronomical units, Beta Pictoris c is, as of 2020, the closest extrasolar planet to its star ever photographed. [4]

    As of 2022, the orbital parameters and mass of Beta Pictoris c have been measured using a combination of data from radial velocity, astrometry, and imaging, [11] showing that it is about 10.1 times the mass of Jupiter, on an eccentric orbit (eccentricity 0.31) with a semi-major axis of about 2.7 AU and an orbital period of about 3.3 years. [2]

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    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Beta Pictoris</span> Second brightest star in the southern constellation of Pictor

    Beta Pictoris is the second brightest star in the constellation Pictor. It is located 63.4 light-years (19.4 pc) from the Solar System, and is 1.75 times as massive and 8.7 times as luminous as the Sun. The Beta Pictoris system is very young, only 20 to 26 million years old, although it is already in the main sequence stage of its evolution. Beta Pictoris is the title member of the Beta Pictoris moving group, an association of young stars which share the same motion through space and have the same age.

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    Beta Pictoris b (abbreviated as β Pic b) is an exoplanet orbiting the young debris disk A-type main sequence star Beta Pictoris located approximately 63 light-years (19.4 parsecs, or 6×1014 km) away from Earth in the constellation of Pictor. It has a mass around 13 Jupiter masses and a radius around 46% larger than Jupiter's. It orbits at 9 AU from Beta Pictoris, which is about 3.5 times farther than the orbit of Beta Pictoris c. It orbits close to the plane of the debris disk orbiting the star, with a low eccentricity and a period of 20–21 years.

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    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lagrange, A.-M.; Meunier, Pascal Rubini; Keppler, Miriam; Galland, Franck; et al. (19 August 2019). "Evidence for an additional planet in the β Pictoris system". Nature Astronomy. 3 (12): 1135–1142. Bibcode:2019NatAs...3.1135L. doi:10.1038/s41550-019-0857-1. S2CID   202126059 . Retrieved 20 August 2019.
    2. 1 2 3 Feng, Fabo; Butler, R. Paul; et al. (August 2022). "3D Selection of 167 Substellar Companions to Nearby Stars". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series . 262 (21): 21. arXiv: 2208.12720 . Bibcode:2022ApJS..262...21F. doi:10.3847/1538-4365/ac7e57. S2CID   251864022.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 Nowak, M.; et al. (6 October 2020). "Direct confirmation of the radial-velocity planet β Pictoris c". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 642: L2. arXiv: 2010.04442 . Bibcode:2020A&A...642L...2N. doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202039039 . Retrieved 26 August 2020.
    4. 1 2 3 Lagrange, Anne-Marie (October 2020). Forveille, Thierry (ed.). "Unveiling the β Pictoris system, coupling high contrast imaging, interferometric, and radial velocity data". Astronomy & Astrophysics. EDP Sciences. 642: A18. Bibcode:2020A&A...642A..18L. doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202038823 . ISSN   0004-6361 . Retrieved 7 October 2020.
    5. 1 2 Young, Monica (19 August 2019). "Beta Pic's New Planet, Jupiter's Fuzzy Core & An Ancient Star". Sky & Telescope . Retrieved 19 August 2019.
    6. ↑ Brandt, G. Mirek; Brandt, Timothy D.; Dupuy, Trent J.; Li, Yiting; Michalik, Daniel (2021). "Precise Dynamical Masses and Orbital Fits for β Pic b and β Pic C". The Astronomical Journal. 161 (4): 179. arXiv: 2011.06215 . Bibcode:2021AJ....161..179B. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/abdc2e. S2CID   226306610.
    7. ↑ Webb, R. A.; Bessell, M. S.; Song, Inseok; Zuckerman, B. (30 October 2001). "The β Pictoris Moving Group". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 562 (1): L87–L90. Bibcode:2001ApJ...562L..87Z. doi: 10.1086/337968 . S2CID   120493760.
    8. ↑ Gray, R. O.; et al. (2006). "Contributions to the Nearby Stars (NStars) Project: Spectroscopy of Stars Earlier than M0 within 40 pc—The Southern Sample". The Astronomical Journal . 132 (1): 161–170. arXiv: astro-ph/0603770 . Bibcode:2006AJ....132..161G. doi:10.1086/504637. S2CID   250741593.
    9. ↑ "A second planet in the Beta Pictoris system". Nanowerk. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
    10. ↑ Starr, Michelle (2 October 2020). "Scientists Reveal First Direct Image of an Exoplanet Only 63 Light-Years Away". sciencealert.com. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
    11. ↑ Lacour, S.; et al. (2021). "The mass of β Pictoris c from β Pictoris b orbital motion". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 654: L2. arXiv: 2109.10671 . Bibcode:2021A&A...654L...2L. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202141889. S2CID   237592885.
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