Kepler-37b is an extrasolar planet (exoplanet) orbiting Kepler-37 in the constellation Lyra. As of February 20 2013 it is the smallest planet discovered around a main-sequence star, with a radius slightly greater than that of the Moon.
The measurements do not constrain its mass, but masses above a few times that of the Moon give unphysically high densities.
Kepler-37b, along with two other planets, Kepler-37c and Kepler-37d, were discovered by the Kepler space telescope, which observes stellar transits. After observing transits of Kepler-37b, astronomers had to compare it with the size of the parent star.
The size of the star was obtained using asteroseismology;[clarification needed] Kepler-37 is currently the smallest star to be studied using this process. This allowed the size of Kepler-37b to be determined "with extreme accuracy".
To date, Kepler-37b is the smallest planet discovered around a main-sequence star outside the Solar System. Detection of Kepler-37b was possible due to its short orbital period, relative brightness, and low activity of its host star, allowing brightness data to average out quickly. The discovery of Kepler-37b has led Jack Lissauer, a scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center, to conjecture that "such little planets are common.
THROWBACKTHISDAY; makes it 3 years and TBT Blog remembers.
No comments:
Post a Comment