HD 63454 b
Encyclopedia
HD 63454 b is an extrasolar planet
located approximately 117 light-year
s away in the constellation
of Chamaeleon
, orbiting the star HD 63454
. It is at least 38% as massive as Jupiter
, and orbits very close to its host star, even closer than the famous 51 Pegasi b
. Its close orbit means it belongs to a class of exoplanets known as hot Jupiter
s.
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...
located approximately 117 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 Chamaeleon
Chamaeleon
Chamaeleon is a small constellation in the southern sky. It is named after the chameleon, a form of lizard. It was first defined in the sixteenth century.-History:...
, orbiting the star HD 63454
HD 63454
HD 63454 is a ninth magnitude K-type main sequence star located approximately 117 light-years away in the constellation of Chamaeleon. It is somewhat cooler and less luminous than our Sun. To see the star one needs a small telescope...
. It is at least 38% as massive as 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,...
, and orbits very close to its host star, even closer than the famous 51 Pegasi b
51 Pegasi b
51 Pegasi b , sometimes though unofficially named Bellerophon, is an extrasolar planet approximately 50 light-years away in the constellation of Pegasus...
. Its close orbit means it belongs to a class of exoplanets known as hot Jupiter
Hot Jupiter
Hot Jupiters are a class of extrasolar planet whose mass is close to or exceeds that of Jupiter...
s.