Gliese 667Cc
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Exoplanet Gliese 667Cc |
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| Artist's impression of Gliese 667 cc | |
| Constellation | Scorpio |
| Position equinox : J2000.0 |
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| Right ascension | 17h 18m 57.2s |
| declination | -34 ° 59 ′ 23 ″ |
| Orbit data | |
| Central star | Gliese 667 C |
| Major semi-axis | approx. 0.125 AU |
| eccentricity | approx. 0.02 |
| Period of circulation | 28.14 ± 0.03 d |
| Further data | |
| Minimum dimensions | approx. 3.8 m ⊕ |
| distance | about 6.8 pc |
| history | |
Gliese 667 Cc (also GJ 667 Cc ) is an exoplanet orbiting the red dwarf Gliese 667 C in the triple star system Gliese 667 in the constellation Scorpio . The exoplanet has a minimum mass of a few Earth masses and lies in the habitable zone . The system is 6.8 parsecs or 22.1 light years away from Earth and contains at least one other planet besides Gliese 667 Cc: Gliese 667 Cb .
discovery
The planet was found using the radial velocity method . The possible existence of the planet based on the analysis of HARPS data was published by Bonfils and colleagues in November 2011. Anglada-Escudé and colleagues were able to confirm the discovery through additional measurements.
properties
The mass of GJ 667 Cc is unknown. Its minimum mass is around 3.8 earth masses. GJ 667Cc is classified as super earth . It orbits the M dwarf named GJ 667 C in 28.2 days. The semi-major axis of its orbit is estimated to be 0.125 AU, i.e. H. about one eighth the distance from the earth to the sun. The exoplanet lies in the habitable zone of the star, the zone in which water can be present in liquid form on an Earth-like planet, which is assumed to be a prerequisite for life as we know it. Whether there is actually liquid water on GJ 667 Cc, however, depends on various other properties of the planet that are not yet known.
literature
- G. Anglada-Escudé, Pamela Arriagada et al .: A planetary system around the nearby M dwarf GJ 667C with at least one super-Earth in its habitable zone. Published in: The Astrophysical Journal Letters , preprint of February 2, 2012.
- X. Bonfils, X. Delfosse et al .: The HARPS search for southern extra-solar planets XXXI. The M-dwarf sample. Submitted to: Astronomy & Astrophysics , preprint from November 2011.
Web links
- Scientists discover possibly habitable super-earth - Press release University of Göttingen from February 2, 2012
- New super-Earth detected within the habitable zone of a nearby cool star - Press release of the Carnegie Institution for Science of February 2, 2012