Exeter: Spin-Orbit Alignment of Exoplanet Beta Pictoris b

[bystander]

First Measurement of Spin-Orbit Alignment on Planet Beta Pictoris b
University of Exeter, UK | 2020 Jun 29

Artist’s impression of the planet β Pictoris b. The planet, found in the Pictor constellation, has a mass of around 11 times that of Jupiter and orbits a young star. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada/N. Risinger (skysurvey.org)

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Astronomers have made the first measurement of spin-orbit alignment for a distant ‘super-Jupiter’ planet, demonstrating a technique that could enable breakthroughs in the quest to understand how exoplanetary systems form and evolved.

An international team of scientists ... has carried out the measurements for the exoplanet Beta Pictoris b - located 63 light years from Earth.

The planet, found in the Pictor constellation, has a mass of around 11 times that of Jupiter and orbits a young star on a similar orbit as Saturn in our solar system.

The study ... marks the first time that scientists have measured the spin-orbit alignment for a directly-imaged planetary system.

Crucially, the results give a fresh insight into enhancing our understanding of the formation history and evolution of the planetary system. ...

First Measurement of Spin-Orbit Alignment on Planet Beta Pictoris b
European Astronomical Society | 2020 Jun 29

Spin–Orbit Alignment of the β Pictoris Planetary System ~ Stefan Kraus et al

• Astrophysical Journal Letters 897(1):L8 (2020 Jul 01) DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ab9d27
• arXiv.org > astro-ph > arXiv:2006.10784 > 18 Jun 2020

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