Tau Ceti e

Last updated
Tau Ceti e
Termoplaneta.jpg
Artistic depiction of Tau Ceti e as a terrestrial planet.
Discovery
Discovery dateDecember 19, 2012
Radial velocity
Designations
52 Ceti e, Tau Ceti e
Orbital characteristics
0.552 AU
168 d
Physical characteristics
Mass ≥3.93 M🜨

    Tau Ceti e, also called 52 Ceti e, is an exoplanet candidate orbiting Tau Ceti, first detected in 2012 by statistical analyses of the star's variations in radial velocity obtained using HIRES, AAPS and HARPS. [1] [2] Its possible properties were refined in 2017, where it was one of two planets recovered from new data, the other being Tau Ceti f. It would orbit at a distance of 0.552  AU (between the orbits of Venus and Mercury in the Solar System) with an orbital period of 168 days and has a minimum mass of 3.93 Earth masses. [3] If Tau Ceti e possesses an Earth-like atmosphere, the surface temperature would be around 68 °C (341 K; 154 °F). [4] Based upon the incident flux upon the planet, a study by Güdel et al. (2014) speculated that the planet may lie inside the inner-boundary of the habitable zone and be a Venus-like world. [5]

    A 2021 study was unable to confirm this planet. [6]

    Related Research Articles

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    Gliese 433 is a dim red dwarf star with multiple exoplanetary companions, located in the equatorial constellation of Hydra. The system is located at a distance of 29.6 light-years from the Sun based on parallax measurements, and it is receding with a radial velocity of +18 km/s. Based on its motion through space, this is an old disk star. It is too faint to be viewed with the naked eye, having an apparent visual magnitude of 9.81 and an absolute magnitude of 10.07.

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    <span class="mw-page-title-main">HD 40307 g</span> Exoplanet candidate in the constellation of Pictor

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    <span class="mw-page-title-main">HD 40307 e</span> Extrasolar planet in the constellation Pictor

    HD 40307 e is an extrasolar planet candidate suspected to be orbiting the star HD 40307. It is located 42 light-years away in the direction of the southern constellation Pictor. The planet was discovered by the radial velocity method, using the European Southern Observatory's HARPS apparatus by a team of astronomers led by Mikko Tuomi at the University of Hertfordshire and Guillem Anglada-Escude of the University of Göttingen, Germany.

    HD 40307 f is an extrasolar planet orbiting the star HD 40307. It is located 42 light-years away in the direction of the southern constellation Pictor. The planet was discovered by the radial velocity method, using the European Southern Observatory's HARPS apparatus by a team of astronomers led by Mikko Tuomi at the University of Hertfordshire and Guillem Anglada-Escude of the University of Göttingen, Germany. The existence of planet was confirmed in 2015.

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    Mikko Tuomi is a Finnish astronomer from the University of Hertfordshire, most known for his contributions to the discovery of a number of exoplanets, among them the Proxima Centauri b which orbits the closest star to the Sun. Mikko Tuomi was the first to find indications of the existence of Proxima Centauri b in archival observation data. Other exoplanets to whose discovery or study Tuomi has contributed include HD 40307, HD 154857 c, Kapteyn c, Gliese 682 c, HD 154857, Gliese 221, Gliese 581 g and the planetary system orbiting Tau Ceti. He has led the development of new data analysis techniques for distinguishing observations caused by natural activity of the star and those caused by planets orbiting them.

    Tau Ceti f is a potential super-Earth or mini-Neptune orbiting Tau Ceti that was discovered in 2012 by statistical analyses of the star's variations in radial velocity, based on data obtained using HIRES, AAPS, and HARPS. It is of interest because its orbit places it in Tau Ceti's extended habitable zone, but a 2015 study implies that there may not be a detectable biosignature because it has only been in the temperate zone for less than one billion years. In 2017, it was again recovered from radial-velocity data, along with Tau Ceti e. Despite this, it remains an unconfirmed candidate.

    References

    1. Tuomi, Mikko; Jones, Hugh R. A.; Jenkins, James S.; Tinney, Chris G.; Butler, R. Paul; Vogt, Steve S.; Barnes, John R.; Wittenmyer, Robert A.; O'Toole, Simon; Horner, Jonathan; Bailey, Jeremy (2013). "Signals embedded in the radial velocity noise. Periodic variations in the tau Ceti velocities". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 551: A79. arXiv: 1212.4277 . Bibcode:2013A&A...551A..79T. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201220509. ISSN   0004-6361. S2CID   2390534.
    2. "Four Exoplanets Detected around Nearby Star Tau Ceti | Astronomy | Sci-News.com". Breaking Science News | Sci-News.com. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
    3. Feng, Fabo; Tuomi, Mikko; Jones, Hugh R. A.; Barnes, John; Anglada-Escude, Guillem; Vogt, Steven S.; Butler, R. Paul (2017-09-05). "Color difference makes a difference: four planet candidates around tau Ceti". The Astronomical Journal. 154 (4): 135. arXiv: 1708.02051 . Bibcode:2017AJ....154..135F. doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/aa83b4 . ISSN   1538-3881. S2CID   53500995.
    4. Bignami, Giovanni F. (2015-06-13). The Mystery of the Seven Spheres: How Homo sapiens will Conquer Space. Springer. ISBN   978-3-319-17004-6.
    5. Guedel, M.; Dvorak, R.; Erkaev, N.; Kasting, J.; Khodachenko, M.; Lammer, H.; Pilat-Lohinger, E.; Rauer, H.; Ribas, I.; Wood, B. E. (2014). "Astrophysical Conditions for Planetary Habitability". Protostars and Planets VI. arXiv: 1407.8174 . doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816531240-ch038. ISBN   9780816531240. S2CID   118447677.
    6. Cretignier, Michael; Dumusque, Xavier; et al. (September 2021). "YARARA: Significant improvement in RV precision through post-processing of spectral time series". Astronomy & Astrophysics . 653: A43. arXiv: 2106.07301 . Bibcode:2021A&A...653A..43C. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202140986.