6 Lyncis b
Encyclopedia
6 Lyncis b is an extrasolar planet
orbiting the K-type subgiant
star
6 Lyncis
which is approximately 186 light years away in the Lynx
constellation
. The planet has a minimum mass
2.4 MJ
. The orbital period
for this planet is 899 days, or 2.46 years. The orbital radius for this planet is 2.2 AU
, periastron 1.9 AU, and apastron 2.5 AU, corresponding to the orbital eccentricity
of 0.134. This planet was discovered on July 3, 2008 by Sato et al., who used Doppler spectroscopy
to find variations of the line of sight motion of the star caused by the planet’s gravity during its orbit.
Extrasolar planet
An extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, is a planet outside the Solar System. A total of such planets have been identified as of . It is now known that a substantial fraction of stars have planets, including perhaps half of all Sun-like stars...
orbiting the K-type subgiant
Subgiant star
A subgiant star is a star that is slightly brighter than a normal main-sequence star of the same spectral class, but not as bright as true giant stars...
star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
6 Lyncis
6 Lyncis
6 Lyncis is a K-type subgiant star approximately 182 light years away in the constellation of Lynx. The star has mass 1.7 times, radius 5.2 times, and luminosity 15 times that of our Sun...
which is approximately 186 light years away in the Lynx
Lynx (constellation)
Lynx is a constellation in the northern sky, introduced in the 17th century by Johannes Hevelius. It is named after the lynx, a genus of cat. It is a very faint constellation; its brightest stars form a zigzag line.-History:...
constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
. The planet has a minimum mass
Minimum mass
In astronomy, minimum mass is the lower-bound calculated mass of observed objects such as planets, stars and binary systems, nebulae, and black holes. Minimum mass is a widely cited statistic for extrasolar planets...
2.4 MJ
Jupiter mass
Jupiter mass , is the unit of mass equal to the total mass of the planet Jupiter . Jupiter mass is used to describe masses of the gas giants, such as the outer planets and extrasolar planets. It is also used in describing brown dwarfs....
. The orbital period
Orbital period
The orbital period is the time taken for a given object to make one complete orbit about another object.When mentioned without further qualification in astronomy this refers to the sidereal period of an astronomical object, which is calculated with respect to the stars.There are several kinds of...
for this planet is 899 days, or 2.46 years. The orbital radius for this planet is 2.2 AU
Astronomical unit
An astronomical unit is a unit of length equal to about or approximately the mean Earth–Sun distance....
, periastron 1.9 AU, and apastron 2.5 AU, corresponding to the orbital eccentricity
Orbital eccentricity
The orbital eccentricity of an astronomical body is the amount by which its orbit deviates from a perfect circle, where 0 is perfectly circular, and 1.0 is a parabola, and no longer a closed orbit...
of 0.134. This planet was discovered on July 3, 2008 by Sato et al., who used Doppler spectroscopy
Doppler spectroscopy
Doppler spectroscopy, also known as radial velocity measurement, is a spectroscopic method for finding extrasolar planets. It involves the observation of Doppler shifts in the spectrum of the star around which the planet orbits....
to find variations of the line of sight motion of the star caused by the planet’s gravity during its orbit.