WASP-26 explained

WASP-26 is a yellow main sequence star in the constellation of Cetus.

Star characteristics

WASP-26 is an old star close to leaving the main sequence and is part of a wide binary. The binary's projected separation is 3800 astronomical units, its companion star being a red dwarf with an effective temperature of 4600K and a visual magnitude of 13.6. WASP-26 produces a large amount of ultraviolet light due to frequent flares, with an average ultraviolet flux close to the F7 class main-sequence star WASP-1.^[1]

Planetary system

The "Hot Jupiter" class planet WASP-26b was discovered around WASP-26 in 2010.^[2] The planet would have an equilibrium temperature of 1660 K, but measured temperatures are slightly higher at 1775K and no noticeable difference exists between the day-side and the night-side of the planet.^[3] A 2011 study using the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect failed to determine the inclination of the planetary orbit to the equatorial plane of the parent star due to high stellar noise,^[4] but an initial constraint of -34° was published in 2012.

Notes and References

1. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/766/1/9 Evgenya L. Shkolnik, "AN ULTRAVIOLET INVESTIGATION OF ACTIVITY ON EXOPLANET HOST STARS", 2013
2. 1004.1542. 10.1051/0004-6361/201014705. WASP-26b: A 1-Jupiter-mass planet around an early-G-type star. 2010. Smalley. B.. Anderson. D. R.. Collier Cameron. A.. Gillon. M.. Hellier. C.. Lister. T. A.. Maxted. P. F. L.. Queloz. D.. Triaud. A. H. M. J.. West. R. G.. Bentley. S. J.. Enoch. B.. Pepe. F.. Pollacco. D. L.. Segransan. D.. Smith. A. M. S.. Southworth. J.. Udry. S.. Wheatley. P. J.. Wood. P. L.. Bento. J.. Astronomy and Astrophysics. 520. A56. 2010A&A...520A..56S. 55114421.
3. 1303.4596. 10.1093/mnras/stt505. Warm Spitzer occultation photometry of WASP-26b at 3.6 and 4.5 μm. 2013. Mahtani. D. P.. Maxted. P. F. L.. Anderson. D. R.. Smith. A. M. S.. Smalley. B.. Tregloan-Reed. J.. Southworth. J.. Madhusudhan. N.. Collier Cameron. A.. Gillon. M.. Harrington. J.. Hellier. C.. Pollacco. D.. Queloz. D.. Triaud. A. H. M. J.. West. R. G.. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 432. 1. 693–701. free . 2013MNRAS.432..693M. 55842630.
4. 1106.6092. 10.1051/0004-6361/201117597. Spin-orbit measurements and refined parameters for the exoplanet systems WASP-22 and WASP-26. 2011. Anderson. D. R.. Collier Cameron. A.. Gillon. M.. Hellier. C.. Jehin. E.. Lendl. M.. Queloz. D.. Smalley. B.. Triaud. A. H. M. J.. Vanhuysse. M.. Astronomy & Astrophysics. 534. A16. 2011A&A...534A..16A. 31204371.