Pi Mensae b

Planetbox begin
name = Pi Mensae bPlanetbox star
star = Pi Mensae
constell = Mensa
ra = RA|05|37|09.89
dec = DEC|–80|28|08.84
dist_ly = 59.39
dist_pc = 18.21
class = G1IVPlanetbox orbit
separation =
position_angle =
semimajor = 3.379
semimajor_gigameter =
semimajor_no_units =
periastron =
periastron_gigameter =
apastron =
apastron_gigameter =
eccentricity = 0.6405±0.0072
period = 2151±85
period_year = 5.889
period_megasecond =
inclination =
ang_dist =
long_peri = 330.24±0.67
arg_peri = 156
t_peri = 2,447,820±170
t_peri_no_jd =
t_transit =
t_transit_no_jd =
t_approach =
semi-amp = 196.4±1.3Planetbox character
mass = >10.312
mass_earth =
radius = 1.001
radius_earth =
radius_megameter =
density =
gravity =
gravity_earth =
insolation =
insolation_earth =
temperature = ~159Planetbox discovery
discovery_date = 15 October 2001
discoverers = Jones "et al." [Jones H., Vogt S., Butler P., Marcy G., Fischer D., Pourbaix D., Apps K., & Laughlin G.]
discovery_method = Doppler spectroscopy
discovery_site = flagicon|Australia Anglo-Australian
Telescope
discovery_status = ConfirmedPlanetbox catalog
names = HD 39091 b

Pi Mensae b (π Men b / π Mensae b), also cataloged HD 39091 b, is an extrasolar planet [cite journal|url=http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/504701|author=Butler "et al." | title=Catalog of Nearby Exoplanets | journal=The Astrophysical Journal | volume=646 | issue=1 | pages=505 – 522| year=2006 | doi=10.1086/504701 ( [http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/astro-ph?papernum=0607493 web Preprint] )] approximately 59 light-years away in the constellation of Mensa. The planet was announced orbiting the yellow subgiant star Pi Mensae in October 2001. Because of the planet's high mass and high eccentricity, the planet is classified as an "eccentric super-Jupiter."

Detection and discovery

On October 15, 2001, a team of astronomers including Jones, Butler, Tinney, Marcy, Penny, McCarthy, Carter, and Pourbaix announced the discovery of one of the most massive extrasolar planets have yet been observed. It was discovered by the Anglo-Australian Planet Search team, using a doppler spectrometer mounted on the Anglo-Australian Telescope.

Physical characteristics

Pi Mensae b orbits in a very eccentric orbit and takes 5.89 years to revolve around Pi Mensae. The semi-major axis of the planet to the star is 3.38 AU while the semi-minor axis is 2.59 AU. This planet passes through the star's habitable zone at periastron (1.21 AU) while at apastron, it passes to beyond Jupiter-Sun distance (5.54 AU). The gravitational influence of this planet would disrupt the orbit of any potentially Earth-like planet.

Pi Mensae b is over ten times more massive than Jupiter, [cite journal | url=http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05459.x | author=Jones "et al." | title=A probable planetary companion to HD 39091 from Anglo-Australian Planet Search | journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | volume=333 | year=2002 | pages=871 – 875 | doi=10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05459.x ( [http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/astro-ph?papernum=0112084 web Preprint] )] the most massive planet in our solar system. It will have 10 times the surface gravity of Jupiter alone and could be incadescent (glowing). The inclination of the orbit is not known, and this planet could be a brown dwarf instead.

See also

* Gliese 777 b
* HD 70642 b

References

External links

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