HAT-P-13c is a substellar object orbiting the star HAT-P-13

HAT-P-13

HAT-P-13, also known as GSC 03416-00543, is a G-type main sequence star approximately 697 light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. In 2009 it was discovered that this star is orbited by two massive planets, the innermost of which transits the star...

 located 698 light years away from Earth in the constellation of Ursa Major

Ursa Major

Ursa Major , also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. It can best be seen in April...

. With a mass at least 15.2 times that of Jupiter

Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...

, it may be a massive planet or a small brown dwarf

Brown dwarf

Brown dwarfs are sub-stellar objects which are too low in mass to sustain hydrogen-1 fusion reactions in their cores, which is characteristic of stars on the main sequence. Brown dwarfs have fully convective surfaces and interiors, with no chemical differentiation by depth...

. The gravitational effect of this object on the inner transiting planet HAT-P-13b

HAT-P-13b

HAT-P-13b is an extrasolar planet approximately 697 light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. The planet was discovered when it transited across its sun, HAT-P-13. This planet is a hot Jupiter with 0.851 times the mass of Jupiter and 1.28 radius. The planet has a lower mass, but its overall...

may allow a precise determination of the inner planet's internal structure.

External links

• JPL PlanetQuest search