MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb
Extrasolar planet List of extrasolar planets

An artist's impression of MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb orbiting its primary.
Parent star
Star MOA-2007-BLG-192L
Constellation Sagittarius
Right ascension (α) 18h 08m 04s[1]
Declination (δ) −27° 09′ 00″[1]
Distance 3000±1000 ly
(1000±400[2] pc)
Observed separation
Projected separation (d) 0.62+0.22−0.16[2] AU
Physical characteristics
Mass (m) 3.3+4.9−1.6[2] M
Discovery information
Discovery date 30 May 2008
Discoverer(s) Bennett et al.
Detection method Gravitational microlensing
Discovery site Mount John University
Observatory
,
 New Zealand
Discovery status Announced[2]
Database references
Extrasolar Planets
Encyclopaedia
data
SIMBAD data

MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb, occasionally shortened to MOA-192 b,[3] is an extrasolar planet approximately 3,000 light-years away in the constellation of Sagittarius. The planet was discovered orbiting the brown dwarf or low-mass star MOA-2007-BLG-192L. At a mass of approximately 3.3 times that of Earth, it is one of the smallest known extrasolar planets. It was found when it caused a microlensing event on the night of May 24, 2007, which was detected as part of the MOA-II gravitational microlensing survey at the Mount John University Observatory in New Zealand.[2]

The system's primary is small as well. At roughly 6% the mass of our sun, it is probably too small to sustain fusion reactions, making it a dimly glowing brown dwarf.[4] Also, the estimated projected distance between MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb and its primary is approximately 60% of the Earth-Sun distance.[2] That means the planet probably formed with lots of ice and gases, more like Neptune (an ice giant planet) in composition than Earth (a terrestrial planet), according to astronomer David Bennett of the University of Notre Dame.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b "Notes for star MOA-2007-BLG-192-L". The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia. Retrieved on 2008-06-16.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Table 3, A Low-Mass Planet with a Possible Sub-Stellar-Mass Host in Microlensing Event MOA-2007-BLG-192, D. P. Bennett et al., arXiv:0806.0025v1. Bibcode2008arXiv0806.0025B
  3. ^ Planet Quest: New Worlds Atlas, JPL. Accessed on line July 2, 2008.
  4. ^ a b Smallest Extrasolar Planet Portends Other Earths, Richard A. Kerr, ScienceNOW Daily News, June 2, 2008. Accessed on line June 16, 2008.

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