WASP-107b

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WASP-107b
Artist's impression of WASP-107b.jpg
Artist's impression of exoplanet WASP-107b. [1]
Discovery
Discovered by D. R. Anderson et al.
Discovery date2017
WASP-South
Orbital characteristics
0.0566 ± 0.0017 AU (8,470,000 ± 250,000 km) [2]
Eccentricity 0 [3]
5.7214742 d [2]
StarWASP-107
Physical characteristics
Mean radius
0.96±0.03 RJ [2]
Mass 0.096±0.005 [2] MJ

    WASP-107b is a super-Neptune exoplanet that orbits the star WASP-107. It lies 200 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Virgo. [4] Its discovery was announced in 2017 by a team led by D. R. Anderson via the WASP-South. [5]

    Contents

    Planetary orbit

    WASP-107b could not have formed in its current orbit. It likely migrated inward from its birth orbit beyond 1 AU due to interaction with the heavier planet WASP-107c. It is in a retrograde orbit, strongly misaligned with the equatorial plane of the parent star. The misalignment angle is equal to 118°+38
    −19    . [6] WASP-107c follows a highly eccentric and inclined orbit with a period of 1088+15
    −16     days. [2]

    Physical characteristics

    WASP-107b is a super-Neptune ice giant exoplanet located 200 light years away from Earth in the constellation Virgo. [4] It is roughly the size of Jupiter but less than one-tenth of Jupiter's mass, making it one of the lowest density exoplanets. [2] Its radius is 0.96±0.03 times Jupiter's, making its atmosphere fluffy, and coupled with transiting a moderately bright K-type star, makes it a target for atmospheric characterization. [7] It is eight times nearer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun and orbits its star every 5.7 days. [4] With a temperature of 500 °C (932 °F), its atmosphere makes it one of the hottest known exoplanets. [4]

    Helium was discovered in the planet's atmosphere in 2018, making it the first time helium was discovered on an exoplanet. [8] A follow-up observation with Keck in 2020 showed that the helium absorption extends beyond transit-egress. [9] Extreme ultraviolet radiation from the host star is gradually whittling down the planet's atmosphere, forming a comet-like tail 7 times as long as the radius of the planet. [10] [11]

    In November 2023, scientists discovered that its atmosphere contains water vapor and sulfur dioxide. The clouds on this planet are made up of silicates. [12] [13] The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) revealed groundbreaking findings [14] about exoplanet WASP-107b. Utilizing its Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), European astronomers discovered water vapor, sulfur dioxide, and silicate sand clouds in its atmosphere. This challenges existing models and deepens our understanding of exoplanetary atmospheres, marking a significant milestone in exoplanetary exploration.

    See also

    Related Research Articles

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    References

    1. ↑ heic1809 (2 May 2018). "Hubble detects helium in the atmosphere of an exoplanet for the first time". www.spacetelescope.org. Retrieved 4 May 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Piaulet, Caroline; Benneke, Björn; et al. (2021-01-18). "WASP-107b's Density Is Even Lower: A Case Study for the Physics of Planetary Gas Envelope Accretion and Orbital Migration". The Astronomical Journal. 161 (2): 70. arXiv: 2011.13444 . Bibcode:2021AJ....161...70P. doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/abcd3c . ISSN   1538-3881. S2CID   227208673.
    3. ↑ "Planet WASP-107 b". Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia . 2017.
    4. 1 2 3 4 Reed, Nola (2 May 2018). "An Exoplanet First! Helium Spotted on Bizarre Comet-Like World". Space.com .
    5. ↑ Anderson, D.R.; Cameron, A. Collier; et al. (August 2017). "The discoveries of WASP-91b, WASP-105b and WASP-107b: Two warm Jupiters and a planet in the transition region between ice giants and gas giants" (PDF). Astronomy & Astrophysics . 604 (A110): A110. arXiv: 1701.03776 . Bibcode:2017A&A...604A.110A. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201730439. S2CID   58910823.
    6. ↑ Rubenzahl, Ryan A.; Dai, Fei; Howard, Andrew W.; Chontos, Ashley; Giacalone, Steven; Lubin, Jack; Rosenthal, Lee J.; Isaacson, Howard; Batalha, Natalie M.; Crossfield, Ian J. M.; Dressing, Courtney; Fulton, Benjamin; Huber, Daniel; Kane, Stephen R.; Petigura, Erik A.; Robertson, Paul; Roy, Arpita; Weiss, Lauren M.; Beard, Corey; Hill, Michelle L.; Mayo, Andrew; Mocnik, Teo; Murphy, Joseph M. Akana; Scarsdale, Nicholas (2021), "The TESS–Keck Survey. IV. A Retrograde, Polar Orbit for the Ultra-low-density, Hot Super-Neptune WASP-107b", The Astronomical Journal, 161 (3): 119, arXiv: 2101.09371 , Bibcode:2021AJ....161..119R, doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/abd177 , S2CID   231698426
    7. ↑ "First results on the atmosphere of WASP-107b". Wide Angle Search for Planets. September 27, 2017.
    8. ↑ Witze, Alexandra (2 May 2018). "Astronomers spot helium on exoplanet for first time". Nature . doi:10.1038/d41586-018-05052-w.
    9. ↑ Kirk, James; Alam, Munazza K.; Lopez-Morales, Mercedes; Zeng, Li (2020-01-21). "Confirmation of WASP-107b's extended Helium atmosphere with Keck II/NIRSPEC". The Astronomical Journal. 159 (3): 115. arXiv: 2001.07667 . Bibcode:2020AJ....159..115K. doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/ab6e66 . S2CID   210838904.
    10. ↑ waspplanets (2020-01-22). "Helium reveals the extended atmosphere of WASP-107b". WASP Planets. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
    11. ↑ Spake, J. J.; Oklopčić, A.; Hillenbrand, L. A. (2021), "The Posttransit Tail of WASP-107b Observed at 10830 Å", The Astronomical Journal, 162 (6): 284, arXiv: 2107.08999 , Bibcode:2021AJ....162..284S, doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/ac178a , S2CID   236087427
    12. ↑ "Clouds made of sand make for a strange kind of rain on this hot planet". NPR News. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
    13. ↑ Dyrek, Achrène; Min, Michiel; Decin, Leen; Bouwman, Jeroen; Crouzet, Nicolas; Mollière, Paul; Lagage, Pierre-Olivier; Konings, Thomas; Tremblin, Pascal; Güdel, Manuel; Pye, John; Waters, Rens; Henning, Thomas; Vandenbussche, Bart; Ardevol Martinez, Francisco (2023-11-15). "SO2, silicate clouds, but no CH4 detected in a warm Neptune". Nature: 1–3. arXiv: 2311.12515 . doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06849-0. ISSN   0028-0836. PMID   37967578. S2CID   265219725.
    14. ↑ "The Astonishing Atmosphere of WASP-107b as Revealed by James Webb Telescope". www.jameswebbdiscovery.com. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
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