Beta Pictoris c

Beta Pictoris c (abbreviated as β Pic c) is the second exoplanet orbiting 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 0.24.[3][4]

Beta Pictoris c
Artist's impression of the beta Pictoris system showing the planets in the system.
Discovery
Discovered byLagrange et al.[1]
Discovery siteLa Silla Observatory
Discovery date19 August 2019[1]
Radial velocity method
Orbital characteristics
1200 d (3.3 yr)[1]
StarBeta Pictoris
Physical characteristics
Mass~9 MJ[1]
Spectral type
L2.5[2]

    Discovery

    Beta Pictoris c was detected indirectly, through 10 years of observation[5] 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.[3][6] In October 2020, new images of the exoplanet were revealed.[7]

    Optical confirmation

    The European Southern Observatory confirmed the presence of Beta Pictoris c, on 6 October 2020, through the use of optical interferometry.[8] 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[3]

    Characteristics

    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 9 Jupiter masses (MJ)[1] and a radius 1.12 times larger than Jupiter.[9]

    Orbit

    The planet orbits an A-type main sequence star named Beta Pictoris. The star has a mass of 1.75 solar masses (M☉) and a radius of 1.8 solar radii (R☉). It has a surface temperature of 8056 K and is only 12 million years old.[10] It is slightly metal-rich, with a metallicity (Fe/H) of 0.06, or 112% of that found in the Sun.[11] Its luminosity (L☉) is 8.7 times that of the Sun.

    Beta Pictoris c orbits at around 2.7 astronomical units (400 million kilometres) from Beta Pictoris, about 3.5 times closer than Beta Pictoris b.[4] It has an orbital period of 1,200 days (3.3 years).[1]

    References
    1. 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. doi:10.1038/s41550-019-0857-1. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
    2. Strong Hα emission in the young planetary mass companion 2MASS J0249−0557 c, 2020, arXiv:2011.10002
    3. Lagrange, A. M. (October 2020). Forveille, T. (ed.). "Unveiling the β Pictoris system, coupling high contrast imaging, interferometric, and radial velocity data". Astronomy & Astrophysics. EDP Sciences. 642: A18. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202038823. ISSN 0004-6361. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
    4. Young, Monica (19 August 2019). "Beta Pic's New Planet, Jupiter's Fuzzy Core & An Ancient Star". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
    5. "A second planet in the Beta Pictoris system". Nanowerk. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
    6. Narayanan, Nirmal (26 August 2019). "Scientists discover planet 10 times bigger than Jupiter, could help know more about planet formation". International Business Times. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
    7. Starr, Michelle. "Scientists Reveal First Direct Image of an Exoplanet Only 63 Light-Years Away". sciencealert.com. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
    8. Nowak, M.; et al. (6 October 2020). "Direct confirmation of the radial-velocity planet β Pictoris c". Astronomy & Astrophysics. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039039. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
    9. "Beta Pictoris c". Exoplanet Exploration: Planets Beyond our Solar System. NASA. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
    10. Webb, R. A.; Bessell, M. S.; Song, Inseok; Zuckerman, B. (30 October 2001). "The β Pictoris Moving Group". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 562: L87–L90. doi:10.1086/337968.
    11. Gray, R. O.; et al. (2006). "Contributions to the Nearby Stars (NStars) Project: Spectroscopy of Stars Earlier than M0 within 40 pc—The Southern Sample". The Astronomical Journal. 132 (1): 161–170. arXiv:astro-ph/0603770. Bibcode:2006AJ....132..161G. doi:10.1086/504637.
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