| Revision as of 15:07, 21 February 2013 editThaddeusB (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users37,857 editsm →Planetary system: {{convert}}← Previous edit | Revision as of 15:11, 21 February 2013 edit undoPrvc (talk | contribs)414 editsm →DiscoveryNext edit → | ||
| Line 16: | Line 16: | ||
| ===Discovery=== | ===Discovery=== | ||
| The Kelpler planets were discovered in September |
The Kelpler planets were discovered in September 2012 with the aid of ]s detected by the ], and announced to the public in February 2013.<ref name=Nature /> Computer simulation was used to rule out other astronomical phenomenon mimicking planetary transit with probabilities of error <0.05% (3σ) for each potential planet. Additionally, simulation demonstrated that the propose planetary configuration was stable.<ref name=Nature /> The exoplanets planets were considerably smaller than any previously detected, leading '']'' to state that a "a major technological improvement for the telescope" had been achieved.<ref name=scienceworld /> | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 15:11, 21 February 2013
 | This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; try the Find link tool for suggestions. (February 2013) |
Diagram showing star positions and boundaries of the constellation and its surroundings Location of Kepler-37 in (circled) |
Kepler-37 is a yellow dwarf, G-type star, located in the constellation Lyra, 215.2 light years from Earth. It is host to exoplanets Kepler-37b, Kepler-37c and Kepler-37d, all of which orbit very close to the star. Kepler-37 has a mass about 80.3 percent of the Sun's and a radius about 77 percent as large. It has a temperature similar to that of the Sun, but a bit cooler at 5,417 Kelvin. It has about half the metallicity of our Sun. With an age of roughly 6 billion years, it is slightly older than the Sun, but is still a main-sequence star.
Planetary system
Kepler-37b is the closest planet to the Kelper-37. At the time of its discovery in February 2013, it was the smallest known exoplanet. At 3,865 kilometres (2,402 mi) in diameter, it is slightly larger than Earth's moon. It orbits Kepler-37 once every 13 Earth days at a distance of about 0.1 astronomical units (AU). Kepler-37b has a rocky surface and is believed to be too small and too close to its star to support water or maintain an atmosphere.
Kepler-37c is around three-quarters of the diameter of Earth and orbits approximately every 21 Earth days at a distance of just under 0.14 AU. Kepler-37d is about twice the diameter of Earth. It orbits in around 40 Earth days at a distance of nearly 0.21 AU. Neither is able to support water due to their close proximity to Kepler-37.
Discovery
The Kelpler planets were discovered in September 2012 with the aid of transit events detected by the Kepler space telescope, and announced to the public in February 2013. Computer simulation was used to rule out other astronomical phenomenon mimicking planetary transit with probabilities of error <0.05% (3σ) for each potential planet. Additionally, simulation demonstrated that the propose planetary configuration was stable. The exoplanets planets were considerably smaller than any previously detected, leading Science World Reports to state that a "a major technological improvement for the telescope" had been achieved.
References
- ^ "A sub-Mercury-sized exoplanet". Nature. February 20, 2013.
{{cite journal}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Catherine Griffin (February 21, 2013). "Tiniest Planet Yet Discovered by NASA Outside our Solar System". Science World Report. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- "Bad Astronomy",
- NASA,
- JPL
External links
- Nature, article on the discovery
- NASA, Kepler mission, Table of Confirmed Planets
 | This extrasolar-planet-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
 | This star-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |