What is unusual about the planet J1407b?
J1407b is the first exoplanet or brown dwarf discovered with a ring system by the transit method. A sequence of occultations (eclipses) of the star occurred over a 56-day period in 2007.
What are 5 facts about Saturn’s rings?
Here are some fun facts about the Ringed Planet.
- Saturn is huge.
- You cannot stand on Saturn.
- Its beautiful rings are not solid.
- Some of these bits are as small as grains of sand.
- The rings are huge but thin.
- Other planets have rings.
- Saturn could float in water because it is mostly made of gas.
How does J1407b have so many rings?
Make no mistake, J1407b is the true Lord of the Rings. Scientist could infer the presence of a large ring system because of the way it blocked light from the planet’s host star. Here is a video released by the discovery team showing the drop in the star’s brightness during what can be called a ring-eclipse.
What is J1407b atmosphere?
J1407b is an extrasolar planet located about 420 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Centaurus. J1407b is widely known for the massive size of its rings, which are approximately 640 times the extent of the rings found on Saturn.
What is J1407b rings made of?
The rings begin at a distance of about 30 million kilometres from the planet and stretch out to a distance of 90 million kilometres. And they are probably made of dust, as planet J1407b is too hot – about 1,000 to 2,000 degrees Celsius – to support ice rings like those orbiting Saturn.
Can we see J1407b from a telescope?
The star J1407 is relatively bright and can be seen using small telescopes, and so we asked amateur astronomers from around the world to look at the star and take pictures of it.
What happens if J1407b replaced Saturn?
“If we could replace Saturn’s rings with the rings around J1407b, they would be easily visible at night and be many times larger than the full moon,” said Leiden Observatory’s Matthew Kenworthy.
What is J1407b made out of?
dust
The rings begin at a distance of about 30 million kilometres from the planet and stretch out to a distance of 90 million kilometres. And they are probably made of dust, as planet J1407b is too hot – about 1,000 to 2,000 degrees Celsius – to support ice rings like those orbiting Saturn.
What was J1407b named after?
The planet is named J1407b after the star it orbits, J1407. (Don’t worry, astronomers are working on better names for exoplanets.) J1047b has 37 rings, with a total radius of the rings reaching 55 million miles.
Who discovered J1407b?
Eric MamajekJ1407b / Discoverer
What can we learn from J1407?
The researchers encourage amateur astronomers to help monitor J1407, which would help detect the next eclipse of the rings, and constrain the period and mass of the ringed companion. Observations of J1407 can be reported to the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO).
What is the mass of J1407b?
The mass of J1407b has been difficult to constrain, but it is most likely in the range of about 10 to 40 Jupiter masses. The researchers encourage amateur astronomers to help monitor J1407, which would help detect the next eclipse of the rings, and constrain the period and mass of the ringed companion.
How big is J1407b ring system?
The J1407b ring system has an outer radius of about 90 million km (about 640 times the one of Saturn’s rings). The team found cleared gaps in the rings, which indicate that satellites (“exomoons”) may have formed and accreted from the material orbiting J1407b.
Is J1407b the first planet with a ring system?
J1407b is the first exoplanet or brown dwarf discovered with a ring system by the transit method. An artist’s impression of J1407b. A sequence of occultations of the star 1SWASP J140747.93-394542.6 occurred over a 56-day period in 2007.
