HD 136118 b
Encyclopedia
HD 136118 b is a brown dwarf
located approximately 171 light-year
s away in the constellation
of Serpens Cauda. This object had a minimum mass
of 11.9 times that of Jupiter
. Due to its high mass the planet is likely to be very hot and possibly glowing faintly. The lower limit on its mass is only slightly less than the deuterium burning
threshold that some astronomers use to distinguish between planets and brown dwarf
s. Depending on the inclination
of its orbit, the true mass
could be above this limit. The orbit of the object is located at the average distance of 1.45 astronomical units from the parent star, taking 40 months to complete one eccentric orbit.
On November 25, 2009, its inclination
was calculated to be 163.1° and its true mass
42 times that of Jupiter, classifying this as a 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...
located approximately 171 light-year
Light-year
A light-year, also light year or lightyear is a unit of length, equal to just under 10 trillion kilometres...
s away in the 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....
of Serpens Cauda. This object had 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...
of 11.9 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,...
. Due to its high mass the planet is likely to be very hot and possibly glowing faintly. The lower limit on its mass is only slightly less than the deuterium burning
Deuterium burning
Deuterium burning is a nuclear fusion reaction that occurs in stars and some substellar objects, in which a deuterium nucleus and a proton combine to form a helium-3 nucleus...
threshold that some astronomers use to distinguish between planets and 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...
s. Depending on the inclination
Inclination
Inclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction.-Orbits:The inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit...
of its orbit, the true mass
True mass
The term true mass is synonymous with the term mass, but is used in astronomy to differentiate the measured mass of a planet from the lower limit of mass usually obtained from radial velocity techniques...
could be above this limit. The orbit of the object is located at the average distance of 1.45 astronomical units from the parent star, taking 40 months to complete one eccentric orbit.
On November 25, 2009, its inclination
Inclination
Inclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction.-Orbits:The inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit...
was calculated to be 163.1° and its true mass
True mass
The term true mass is synonymous with the term mass, but is used in astronomy to differentiate the measured mass of a planet from the lower limit of mass usually obtained from radial velocity techniques...
42 times that of Jupiter, classifying this as a brown dwarf.