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WD 0806−661 B

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(Redirected from WD 0806-661 B) Sub-brown dwarf or exoplanet
WD 0806-661 b / Ahra
JWST image of WD 0806−661 B and its white dwarf star
Discovery
Discovered byLuhman et al.
Discovery date2011
Detection methodDirect imaging
Designations
Alternative namesAhra, GJ 3483 B
Orbital characteristics
Semi-major axis2,500 AU
StarWD 0806−661
Physical characteristics
Mean radius1.12 RJ
Mass7-9 MJ
Surface gravity16.17 g (Estimate)
Temperature325-350 K

WD 0806-661 B, formally named Ahra, is a planetary-mass companion of the white dwarf star WD 0806−661, or Maru.

This object was discovered in 2011 by the Spitzer Space Telescope. It has a mass of between 7-9 MJ, putting it as a gas giant planet. At the time of its discovery, WD 0806-661 b was the coldest brown dwarf ever discovered, with a temperature of 325-350 Kelvin (52-77 °C or 125-170 °F) and also had the largest separation from its star at about 2,500 AU at the time of its discovery. The photometric colors of the object suggest it is metal-poor.

As of 2021, WD 0806-661 b is a potential target for study from the James Webb Space Telescope.

Host star

Main article: WD 0806−661

WD 0806−661, or Maru, is a white dwarf star of the spectral type DQ. The metal-poor composition of its planetary-mass companion could explain its spectral type, as it is theorized that hydrogen-deficient stars of the asymptotic giant branch could evolve into white dwarfs of spectral type DB and then DQ as they cool down. WD 0806-661 is estimated to be 1.5-2.7 billion years old, and likely used to be an A-type main sequence star of 2.1 ± 0.3 solar masses before reaching the end of its life and becoming a white dwarf. WD 0806-661 B may have formed closer to the star, but migrated further away as it reached the end of its life.

Characteristics

Because it orbits very far away from its star, WD 0806−661 B is likely very dark, receiving almost no light from its star. However, due to the object's high mass, internal heat keeps the temperature hotter than that of Earth. The object's radius is estimated to be 12% larger than that of Jupiter, and is likely the same age as the star. Despite having temperatures comparable to that of Earth, WD 0806−661 B is a poor candidate for extraterrestrial life due to high surface gravity and lack of starlight. Because of its large mass and distance from its star, WD 0806−661 B could host many large exomoons.

The WD 0806−661 system is planned to be studied by the James Webb Space Telescope, which will probe the atmosphere of the object, as well as search for other planetary-mass bodies in the system.

Type of object

There is no consensus as to whether WD 0806-661 b should be considered an exoplanet or a sub-brown dwarf. Based on its large distance from the white dwarf, this object likely formed like a star rather than in a protoplanetary disk, and it is generally described as a brown dwarf in the scientific literature. However, the IAU considers objects below the ~13 MJ limiting mass for deuterium fusion that orbit stars (or stellar remnants), with M2/M1 < 1/25 to be planets, no matter how they formed. Additionally, WD 0806-661 b has been named Ahra through the IAU's NameExoWorlds exoplanet naming campaign, and is included in databases such as the NASA Exoplanet Archive.

See also

Notes

  1. Mass ratio between planet (M2) and host star (M1)

References

  1. Luhman, K. L.; Burgasser, A. J.; Bochanski, J. J. (March 2011). "Discovery of a Candidate for the Coolest Known Brown Dwarf". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 730 (1): L9. arXiv:1102.5411. Bibcode:2011ApJ...730L...9L. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/730/1/L9. ISSN 2041-8205.
  2. ^ Leggett, S. K.; Tremblin, P.; Esplin, T. L.; Luhman, K. L.; Morley, Caroline V. (2017-06-21). "The Y-Type Brown Dwarfs: Estimates of Mass and Age from New Astrometry, Homogenized Photometry and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy". The Astrophysical Journal. 842 (2): 118. arXiv:1704.03573. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa6fb5. ISSN 1538-4357.
  3. "_13428". _13428. doi:10.5270/esa-4bo1j7l. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  4. "1276 - Spectroscopic Observations of WD 0806-661B" (PDF).
  5. Camisassa, María E.; Althaus, Leandro G.; Rohrmann, René D.; García-Berro, Enrique; Torres, Santiago; Córsico, Alejandro H.; Wachlin, Felipe C. (April 2017). "Updated Evolutionary Sequences for Hydrogen-deficient White Dwarfs". The Astrophysical Journal. 839 (1): 11. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa6797. hdl:11336/63304. ISSN 0004-637X.
  6. "The Extrasolar Planet Encyclopaedia — WD 0806-661 B b". Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  7. Luhman, Kevin; Burgasser, Adam; Bochanski, John (2011-01-01). "Confirmation of a Candidate for the Coolest Known Brown Dwarf". Spitzer Proposal: 70203. Bibcode:2011sptz.prop70203L.
  8. "Exoplanet-catalog". Exoplanet Exploration: Planets Beyond our Solar System. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  9. Rodriguez, David R.; Zuckerman, B.; Melis, Carl; Song, Inseok (May 2011). "The Ultra Cool Brown Dwarf Companion of WD 0806-661B: Age, Mass, and Formation Mechanism". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 732 (2): L29. arXiv:1103.3544. Bibcode:2011ApJ...732L..29R. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/732/2/L29.
  10. Lecavelier des Etangs, A.; Lissauer, Jack J. (June 2022). "The IAU working definition of an exoplanet". New Astronomy Reviews. 94: 101641. arXiv:2203.09520. Bibcode:2022NewAR..9401641L. doi:10.1016/j.newar.2022.101641. IAU website link
  11. "2022 Approved Names". nameexoworlds.iau.org. IAU. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  12. "WD 0806-661". NASA Exoplanet Archive. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
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