Gliese 667 C
Gliese 667 C | |
250px Gliese 667 Cc, in the Gliese 667 C system | |
Stellar characteristics | |
---|---|
Constellation | Scorpius |
Right ascension (Epoch J2000) | 17h 18m 57.18s |
Declination (Epoch J2000) | -34° 59' 23.3" |
Spectral type | M1.5-2.5 V |
Distance from Sol | 22.74 ly |
Other designations | Gl 667 C, GJ 667C, LHS 443, MLO 4C. |
Planets | Gliese 667 Cb Gliese 667 Cc possibly two others |
Gliese 667 C (also HR 6426 and MLO 4) is part of a triple star system in the constellation of Scorpius. It orbits the binary pair Gl 667 A and Gl 667 B in an elliptical orbit between about 56 and 215 AU.
The star is a red dwarf star of spectral class of M2V. It has a mass of around 38% of that of the Sun and only 0.3% of the Sun's luminosity. Gliese 667 C's apparent magnitude at Sol is 10.25, giving an absolute magnitude of around 11.03.
The system has at least two planets, Gliese 667 Cb and Gliese 667 Cc, and may have two more companions.
Gliese 667 Cb
Gliese 667 Cb was detected by HARPS on October 19, 2009. It has at least 5.7 times the mass of Earth (classifying as super-Earth) and takes 7.2 Earth days to orbit the star at a semimajor axis of approximately 0.05 AU. Its eccentricity and inclination are not known.
Gliese 667 Cc
Gliese 667 Cc is an earthlike planet with an orbital period of 28.15 days and a minimum mass 4.5 times that of the Earth. It orbits in the Gliese 667 C goldilocks zone.[1]
The planet receives 90 percent of the light that Earth receives. however, most of this is in the infrared, so th energy received by the planet is on par with that received by Earth.
Other Planets
The Gliese 667 C system might also contain a gas-giant planet and an additional super-Earth with an orbital period of 75 days. Further observations are required to confirm these possible planets.
Notes
- ↑ Not too hot, not too cold - just right for life as we know it.
External Links
- UC Santa Cruz: New super-Earth detected within the habitable zone of a nearby star
- Wikipedia: Gliese 667 C