Beta Pictoris c
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | A.-M. Lagrange et al. |
| Discovery site | La Silla Observatory |
| Discovery date | 19 August 2019 |
| Radial velocity | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| 2.70±0.03 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.307+0.019 −0.025 |
| 3.29+0.07 −0.03 yr | |
| Inclination | 88.93°+0.11° −0.09° |
| 211.08°+0.05° −0.04° | |
| 2019.490+0.018 −0.027 | |
| −114.9°+2.6° −2.4° | |
| Semi-amplitude | 138+16 −15 m/s[3] |
| Star | Beta Pictoris |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 1.2±0.1 RJ[4] | |
| Mass | 8.7+0.8 −0.7 MJ[2] |
| Temperature | 1250±50 K[4] |
Beta Pictoris c (abbreviated as β Pic c) is the second exoplanet discovered orbiting the young star Beta Pictoris, located approximately 63 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Pictor. Its mass is around nine times that of Jupiter, and it orbits at around 2.7 astronomical units (AU) from Beta Pictoris, about 3.5 times closer to its parent star than Beta Pictoris b.[1] It has an orbital period of 1,200 days (3.3 years).[1] The orbit of Beta Pictoris c is moderately eccentric, with an eccentricity of ~0.31.[5][6]
This exoplanet is notable for having been detected by three different methods: initially radial velocity,[1] then direct imaging[4] and astrometry.[7]
Physical characteristics
[edit]Mass and radius
[edit]Beta Pictoris c is a super-Jupiter, an exoplanet that has a radius and mass greater than that of the planet Jupiter. It has a mass of around 8.7 Jupiter masses (MJ)[2] and a radius of about 1.2 times that of Jupiter.[4]
Host star
[edit]The planet orbits an A-type main sequence star named Beta Pictoris. The star has a mass of 1.70 solar masses (M☉)[2] and a radius of 1.53 solar radii (R☉).[8] It has a surface temperature of 8054 K[9] and is only 23 million years old.[10] It has a near solar metallicity, with an metal-to-hydrogen ratio equivalent to 102% of that found in the Sun.[9] Its luminosity (L☉) is 7.2 times that of the Sun.[11]
Orbit
[edit]Beta Pictoris c orbits at around 2.70 astronomical units (404 million kilometres) from Beta Pictoris, about 3.7 times closer than Beta Pictoris b and 9.6 times closer than Beta Pictoris d. It has an orbital period of 3.29 years (1,200 days).[2] The planet spends most or all of its orbit in the habitable zone.[12] As of 2026, the orbital parameters and mass of Beta Pictoris c have been measured using a combination of data from radial velocity, astrometry, and imaging.[2]
Discovery
[edit]Beta Pictoris c was detected indirectly, through 10 years of observation[13] of radial velocity data from the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) spectroscope on the European Southern Observatory's ESO 3.6 m Telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile by a worldwide team led by Anne-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.[5] In October 2020, new images of the exoplanet were revealed.[14]
The European Southern Observatory confirmed the presence of Beta Pictoris c, on 6 October 2020, through the use of optical interferometry.[4] 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.[5]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Lagrange, A.-M.; Meunier, Pascal Rubini; Keppler, Miriam; Galland, Franck; et al. (19 August 2019). "Evidence for an additional planet in the β Pictoris system". Nature Astronomy. 3 (12): 1135–1142. Bibcode:2019NatAs...3.1135L. doi:10.1038/s41550-019-0857-1. S2CID 202126059. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sutlieff, Ben J.; Bonse, Markus J.; Christiaens, Valentin; et al. (22 June 2026). "Direct Imaging Discovery of Giant Exoplanet β Pictoris d: A Decade-Long Game of Hide-and-Seek". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. arXiv:2606.23801.
- ↑ Feng, Fabo; Butler, R. Paul; et al. (August 2022). "3D Selection of 167 Substellar Companions to Nearby Stars". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 262 (21): 21. arXiv:2208.12720. Bibcode:2022ApJS..262...21F. doi:10.3847/1538-4365/ac7e57. S2CID 251864022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Nowak, M.; et al. (6 October 2020). "Direct confirmation of the radial-velocity planet β Pictoris c". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 642: L2. arXiv:2010.04442. Bibcode:2020A&A...642L...2N. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039039. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- 1 2 3 Lagrange, Anne-Marie (October 2020). Forveille, Thierry (ed.). "Unveiling the β Pictoris system, coupling high contrast imaging, interferometric, and radial velocity data". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 642. EDP Sciences: A18. Bibcode:2020A&A...642A..18L. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202038823. hdl:20.500.11850/447629. ISSN 0004-6361. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- ↑ Young, Monica (19 August 2019). "Beta Pic's New Planet, Jupiter's Fuzzy Core & An Ancient Star". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- ↑ Brandt, G. Mirek; Brandt, Timothy D.; Dupuy, Trent J.; Li, Yiting; Michalik, Daniel (2021). "Precise Dynamical Masses and Orbital Fits for β Pic b and β Pic C". The Astronomical Journal. 161 (4): 179. arXiv:2011.06215. Bibcode:2021AJ....161..179B. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/abdc2e. S2CID 226306610.
- ↑ Kammerer, J.; Winterhalder, T. O.; Lacour, S.; Stolker, T.; Marleau, G.-D.; Balmer, W. O.; Moore, A. F.; Piscarreta, L.; Toci, C. (2 November 2025). "The ExoGRAVITY survey: A K-band spectral library of giant exoplanet and brown dwarf companions". The Astrophysical Journal. 704: A318. arXiv:2510.08691. Bibcode:2025A&A...704A.318K. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202556860.
- 1 2 Baburaj, Aneesh; Konopacky, Quinn M.; Theissen, Christopher A.; Gerasimov, Roman; Hoch, Kielan K. W. (January 2026). "A High-resolution Spectroscopic Survey of Directly Imaged Companion Hosts. II. Diversity in C/O Ratios among Host Stars". The Astronomical Journal. 171 (1): 21. arXiv:2510.17774. Bibcode:2026AJ....171...21B. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ae1a6b. ISSN 0004-6256.
- ↑ Mamajek, Eric E.; Bell, Cameron P. M. (2014). "On the age of the beta Pictoris moving group". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 445 (3): 2169–2180. arXiv:1409.2737. Bibcode:2014MNRAS.445.2169M. doi:10.1093/mnras/stu1894. S2CID 119114364.
- ↑ McDonald, I.; Zijlstra, A. A.; Watson, R. A. (1 October 2017). "Fundamental parameters and infrared excesses of Tycho-Gaia stars". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 471 (1): 770–791. arXiv:1706.02208. Bibcode:2017MNRAS.471..770M. doi:10.1093/mnras/stx1433. ISSN 0035-8711. Beta Pictoris' database entry at VizieR.
- ↑ "What is the habitable zone around my star?". Worldbuilding Stack Exchange. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ↑ "A second planet in the Beta Pictoris system". Nanowerk. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ↑ Starr, Michelle (2 October 2020). "Scientists Reveal First Direct Image of an Exoplanet Only 63 Light-Years Away". sciencealert.com. Retrieved 2 October 2020.