skip to navigation
|
A Planet as Big as its Star (Artist Concept)
- Click the image above for a larger view
- Full-Res JPEG (3000 x 2400) (416.0 kB)
- Full-Res TIFF (3000 x 2400) (21.6 MB)
Caption:
This artist's concept shows the smallest star known to host a planet. The planet, called VB 10b, was discovered using astrometry, a method in which the wobble induced by a planet on its star is measured precisely on the sky.
The dim, red star, called VB 10, is a so-called M-dwarf, located 20 light-years away in the constellation Aquila. It has only one-twelfth the mass, and one-tenth the size, of our sun. The planet is a gas giant similar in size to Jupiter but with six times the mass. Though the planet is less massive than its star, the two orbs would have a similar diameter.
VB 10b orbits its star about every 9 months at a distance of 50 million kilometers (30 million miles).
Cataloging Keywords:
| Name | Value | Additional Values |
|---|---|---|
| Target | VB 10 | |
| System | VB 10 | |
| Target Type | Exoplanet | |
| Mission | ||
| Instrument Host | ||
| Host Type | ||
| Instrument | ||
| Detector | ||
| Extra Keywords | Artwork, Color, Orbit | |
| Acquisition Date | ||
| Release Date | 2009-05-28 | |
| Date in Caption | ||
| Image Credit | NASA/JPL-Caltech | |
| Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA12015 | |
| Identifier | PIA12015 | |
