51 Pegasi b

Dimidium/51 Pegasi b
An artist's impression of 51 Pegasi b (center) and its star (right).
Discovery
Discovered byMichel Mayor and
Didier Queloz
Discovery siteOHP, France
Discovery date6 October 1995; 29 years ago (6 October 1995)
Radial velocity (ELODIE)
Designations
Dimidium
Orbital characteristics
Aphelion0.0534 AU (7,990,000 km)
Perihelion0.0520 AU (7,780,000 km)
0.0527 ± 0.0030 AU (7,880,000 ± 450,000 km)
Eccentricity0.013 ± 0.012
4.230785 ± 0.000036 d
101.5388 h
136 km/s
Star51 Pegasi
Physical characteristics
1.9±0.3 RJ[1]
Mass≥0.472 ± 0.039 MJ
Temperature1284 ± 19 K

51 Pegasi b, officially named Dimidium /dɪˈmɪdiəm/, is an extrasolar planet approximately 50 light-years (15 parsecs) away in the constellation of Pegasus. It was the first exoplanet to be discovered orbiting a main-sequence star,[2] the Sun-like 51 Pegasi, and marked a breakthrough in astronomical research. It is the prototype for a class of planets called hot Jupiters.[3]

In 2017, traces of water were discovered in the planet's atmosphere.[4] In 2019, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded in part for the discovery of 51 Pegasi b.[5]

  1. ^ Martins, J. H. C.; Santos, N. C.; Figueira, P.; Faria, J. P.; Montalto, M.; Boisse, I.; Ehrenreich, D.; Lovis, C.; Mayor, M.; Melo, C.; Pepe, F.; Sousa, S. G.; Udry, S.; Cunha, D. (2015-04-01). "Evidence for a spectroscopic direct detection of reflected light from 51 Pegasi b". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 576: A134. arXiv:1504.05962. Bibcode:2015A&A...576A.134M. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201425298. ISSN 0004-6361.
  2. ^ How the Universe Works 3. Vol. Jupiter: Destroyer or Savior?. Discovery Channel. 2014.
  3. ^ Wenz, John (10 October 2019). "Lessons from scorching hot weirdo-planets". Knowable Magazine. Annual Reviews. doi:10.1146/knowable-101019-2. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Water detected in the atmosphere of hot Jupiter exoplanet 51 Pegasi b". phys.org. February 1, 2017.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference nobel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).