HD 49674 b
Encyclopedia
HD 49674 b is an extrasolar planet
located approximately 134 light-year
s away in the constellation
of Auriga
, orbiting the star
HD 49674
. This planet was discovered orbiting the star in 2002. The planet is a gas giant
and orbits extremely close to its star, which takes only 4.95 days to revolve.
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 134 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 Auriga
Auriga (constellation)
Auriga is a constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for 'charioteer' and its stars form a shape that has been associated with the pointed helmet of a charioteer. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains among the 88 modern...
, orbiting the 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...
HD 49674
HD 49674
HD 49674 is an 8th magnitude G-type main-sequence star located approximately 144 light years away in the constellation of Auriga. It has a very similar mass to our Sun...
. This planet was discovered orbiting the star in 2002. The planet is a gas giant
Gas giant
A gas giant is a large planet that is not primarily composed of rock or other solid matter. There are four gas giants in the Solar System: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune...
and orbits extremely close to its star, which takes only 4.95 days to revolve.