WASP-12 explained

WASP-12 is a magnitude 11 yellow dwarf star located approximately 1347 light-years away in the constellation Auriga.^[1] WASP-12 has a mass and radius similar to the Sun and is known for being orbited by a planet that is extremely hot and has a retrograde orbit around WASP-12. WASP-12 forms a triple star system with two red dwarf companions. Both of them have spectral types of M3V and are only 38% and 37% as massive as the Sun, respectively.^[2]

Planetary system

In 2008, the extrasolar planet WASP-12b was discovered orbiting WASP-12 by the transit method. Its high carbon-to-oxygen ratio indicates that rocky planets might have formed in the star system, and it may be a carbon planet.^[3] It is subject to intensive photo-evaporation, and may be completely destroyed within one billion years from now.^[4]

In 2015, no indications of additional planets were found in the WASP-12 system.^[5]

See also

• Lists of planets
• SuperWASP

External links

• WASP-12b in transit (lightcurve)
• Web site: WASP-12. Exoplanets. 2009-05-06. 2009-11-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20091125030722/http://media4.obspm.fr/exoplanets/base/etoile.php?nom=WASP-12. dead.

Notes and References

1. Web site: SIMBAD query result: WASP-12 -- Star . Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg . 2009-04-24 .
2. 2014ApJ...788....2B. 10.1088/0004-637X/788/1/2. 1307.6857. WASP-12b AND HAT-P-8b ARE MEMBERS OF TRIPLE STAR SYSTEMS. The Astrophysical Journal. 788. 1. 2. 2014. Bechter. Eric B.. Crepp. Justin R.. Ngo. Henry. Knutson. Heather A.. Batygin. Konstantin. Hinkley. Sasha. Muirhead. Philip S.. Johnson. John Asher. Howard. Andrew W.. Montet. Benjamin T.. Matthews. Christopher T.. Morton. Timothy D.. 36306243.
3. Nikku . Madhusudhan . Harrington . December 8, 2010 . Joseph . 64–7 . Stevenson . Kevin B. . Nymeyer . Sarah . Campo . Christopher J. . Wheatley . Peter J. . Deming . Drake . Blecic . Jasmina . Hardy . Ryan A. . Lust . Nate B. . Anderson . David R. . Collier-Cameron . Andrew . Britt . Christopher B. T. . Bowman . William C. . Hebb . Leslie . Hellier . Coel . Maxted . Pierre F. L. . Pollacco . Don . West . Richard G. . A high C/O ratio and weak thermal inversion in the atmosphere of exoplanet WASP-12b . 469 . . 10.1038/nature09602 . 1012.1603 . 2011Natur.469...64M . 7328 . 21150901. 4415171 . 8 . .
4. https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2011/05/aa16356-10/T2.html D. Ehrenreich and J.-M. Désert, "Mass-loss rates for transiting exoplanets", 2011
5. 1512.00464. Collins. Karen A.. Kielkopf. John F.. Stassun. Keivan G.. TRANSIT TIMING VARIATION MEASUREMENTS OF WASP-12b AND QATAR-1b: NO EVIDENCE OF ADDITIONAL PLANETS. The Astronomical Journal. 2015. 153. 2. 78. 10.3847/1538-3881/153/2/78. 55191644 . free .