HD 81040 b

Extrasolar Planet
name = HD 81040 b
semimajor = 1.94
eccentricity = 0.526 ± 0.042
period = 1001.7 ± 7
ang_dist = 59.582
long_peri = 81.3 ± 7.2
t_peri = 2452504 ± 12
semi-amp = 168 ± 9
mass = >6.86 ± 0.71
temperature = >170
discovery_date = November 24, 2005
discoverers = Sozzetti et al.
discovery_method = Doppler Spectroscopy HD 81040 b is a massive, gas giant planet that orbits the star HD 81040. The period is just over 1000 days. It has semimajor axis of 1.94 AU. However, the orbit is extremely eccentric, little over 0.5 in value.

Physical characteristics

The minimum temperature of the planet is 170 Kelvin, classifying as water giant, meaning clouds of the upper atmosphere is made of water-ice mixture.

Since the planet is massive at 6.9 M_J, the internal heat would make the temperature of the planet a lot higher than given calculated minimum temperature. The actual temperature may be between 400-450 K, classifying as clarified giant with no clouds and the planet may look blue because of Raleigh scattering.

Moons and rings

Since the planet is a high mass, it can have hundreds of moons, most are small (less than 100 km). The estimated number of large moons that are larger than our Moon is 10 based on its mass. Some large moons may resemble terrestrial planets of our solar system and some like the large satellites of Jupiter and Saturn.

The planet may have rings formed by the capturing of asteroids by immense gravity and the breakdown of large moons by immense tidal forces.

ee also

* HD 33564 b

Reference

*

External links

* [http://exoplanet.eu/star.php?st=HD+81040 The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia: HD 81040]