| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Lagrangeet al.[1] |
| Discovery site | La Silla Observatory |
| Discovery date | 19 August 2019[1] |
| Radial velocity method | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| 2.680+0.016 −0.015 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.314+0.024 −0.034 |
| 3.266+0.015 −0.012 yr | |
| Inclination | 88.947°+0.083° −0.091° |
| 31.081°+0.060° −0.048° | |
| 243.890°+2.201° −3.326° | |
| Semi-amplitude | 137.999+16.442 −15.079 m/s |
| Star | Beta Pictoris |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 1.2±0.1 RJ[3] | |
| Mass | 10.139+1.175 −1.031 MJ[2] |
| Temperature | 1250±50 K[3] |
Beta Pictoris c (abbreviated asβ Pic c) is the secondexoplanet discovered orbiting the young starBeta Pictoris, located approximately 63light-years away fromEarth in theconstellation ofPictor. Its mass is around nine times that ofJupiter, and it orbits at around 2.7astronomical units (AU) from Beta Pictoris, about 3.5 times closer to its parent star thanBeta Pictoris b.[1] It has anorbital period of 1,200 days (3.3 years).[1] The orbit of Beta Pictoris c is moderatelyeccentric, with an eccentricity of 0.24.[4][5]
This exoplanet is notable for having been detected by three differentmethods: initiallyradial velocity,[1] thendirect imaging[3] andastrometry.[6]
Beta Pictoris c is asuper-Jupiter, an exoplanet that has a radius and mass greater than that of the planetJupiter. It has a mass of around 10Jupiter masses (MJ)[1] and a radius of about 1.2 times that of Jupiter.[3]
The planet orbits anA-type main sequence star namedBeta Pictoris. The star has a mass of 1.75solar masses (M☉) and a radius of 1.8solar radii (R☉). It has a surface temperature of 8056K and is only 12 million years old.[7] It is slightly metal-rich, with ametallicity (Fe/H) of 0.06, or 112% of that found in the Sun.[8] Its luminosity (L☉) is 8.7 times that of the Sun.
Beta Pictoris c orbits at around 2.7 astronomical units (400 million kilometres) from Beta Pictoris, about 3.5 times closer thanBeta Pictoris b.[5] It has anorbital period of 1,200 days (3.3 years).[1] The planet spends most or all of its orbit in thehabitable zone.[9]
Beta Pictoris c was detected indirectly, through 10 years of observation[10] of radial velocity data from theHigh Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS)spectroscope on theEuropean Southern Observatory'sESO 3.6 m Telescope atLa Silla Observatory in Chile by a worldwide team led byAnne-Marie Lagrange, as the discovery of the planet was publicly announced in August 2019.[1] This discovery was described as being able to help scientists further understand the formation of planetary systems and their evolution in the early stages.[4] In October 2020, new images of the exoplanet were revealed.[11]
The European Southern Observatory confirmed the presence of Beta Pictoris c, on 6 October 2020, through the use of optical interferometry.[3] With a semi-major axis of approximatively 2.7 astronomical units, Beta Pictoris c is, as of 2020, the closest extrasolar planet to its star ever photographed.[4]
As of 2022, the orbital parameters and mass of Beta Pictoris c have been measured using a combination of data fromradial velocity,astrometry, and imaging,[12] showing that it is about 10.1 times the mass of Jupiter, on an eccentric orbit (eccentricity 0.31) with asemi-major axis of about 2.7AU and an orbital period of about 3.3 years.[2]