Rho Coronae Borealis b
Encyclopedia
Rho Coronae Borealis b (ρ CrB b / ρ Coronae Borealis b) is an extrasolar planet
approximately 57 light-year
s away in the constellation
of Corona Borealis
. The planet was discovered orbiting the Solar twin, yellow dwarf
star
Rho Coronae Borealis
in April 1997 (one of the first discovered). The planet's distance to the star is only about one fifth Earth's
distance from the Sun. The orbit is circular and it takes 40 days to complete one revolution around the star. The planet has a mass about that of Jupiter
. However, the inclination
of the orbital plane
is not known, so the value is only a minimum.
In 2000 group of scientist claimed, based on preliminary Hipparcos
astrometrical satellite
data, that the inclination of the planet would be 0.5° and mass as much as 115 times Jupiter. Such a massive body would be nothing else but a dim red dwarf
. However, this is statistically
very improbable, and the claim has not been backed up.
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...
approximately 57 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 Corona Borealis
Corona Borealis
Corona Borealis is a small constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for "northern crown", a name inspired by its shape; its main stars form a semicircular arc. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern...
. The planet was discovered orbiting the Solar twin, yellow dwarf
Yellow dwarf
A G-type main-sequence star , often called a yellow dwarf, is a main-sequence star of spectral type G and luminosity class V. Such a star has about 0.8 to 1.2 solar masses and surface temperature of between 5,300 and 6,000 K., Tables VII, VIII...
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...
Rho Coronae Borealis
Rho Coronae Borealis
Rho Coronae Borealis is a Solar twin, yellow dwarf star approximately 57 light-years away in the constellation of Corona Borealis. The star is thought to be similar to the Sun with nearly the same mass, radius, and luminosity. As of 1997, an extrasolar planet has been confirmed to be orbiting the...
in April 1997 (one of the first discovered). The planet's distance to the star is only about one fifth Earth's
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
distance from the Sun. The orbit is circular and it takes 40 days to complete one revolution around the star. The planet has a mass about 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,...
. However, 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 the orbital plane
Orbital plane (astronomy)
All of the planets, comets, and asteroids in the solar system are in orbit around the Sun. All of those orbits line up with each other making a semi-flat disk called the orbital plane. The orbital plane of an object orbiting another is the geometrical plane in which the orbit is embedded...
is not known, so the value is only a minimum.
In 2000 group of scientist claimed, based on preliminary Hipparcos
Hipparcos
Hipparcos was a scientific mission of the European Space Agency , launched in 1989 and operated between 1989 and 1993. It was the first space experiment devoted to precision astrometry, the accurate measurement of the positions of celestial objects on the sky...
astrometrical satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
data, that the inclination of the planet would be 0.5° and mass as much as 115 times Jupiter. Such a massive body would be nothing else but a dim red dwarf
Red dwarf
According to the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, a red dwarf star is a small and relatively cool star, of the main sequence, either late K or M spectral type....
. However, this is statistically
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
very improbable, and the claim has not been backed up.