41 Lyncis b (abbreviated 41 Lyn b), also designated HD 81688 b and named Arkas , is an
extrasolar planet approximately 280
light-year
A light-year, alternatively spelled light year, is a large unit of length used to express astronomical distances and is equivalent to about 9.46 trillion kilometers (), or 5.88 trillion miles ().One trillion here is taken to be 1012 ...
s from Earth in the
constellation
A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object.
The origins of the e ...
of
Ursa Major.
A
gas giant with a
minimum mass 2.7 times that of
Jupiter, it orbits the
K-type star 41 Lyncis
41 Lyncis (abbreviated 41 Lyn), also designated HD 81688 and named Intercrus , is a fifth-magnitude star located in the northern constellation of Ursa Major. An extrasolar planet (designated 41 Lyncis b or HD 81688 b, later named Arkas) ...
with an
orbital period of 184 days (corresponding to a
semi-major axis
In geometry, the major axis of an ellipse is its longest diameter: a line segment that runs through the center and both foci, with ends at the two most widely separated points of the perimeter. The semi-major axis (major semiaxis) is the long ...
of 0.81 AU). It was discovered and announced by Bun'ei Sato on February 19, 2008.
Name
In July 2014, the
International Astronomical Union (IAU) launched
NameExoWorlds, a process for giving proper names to certain exoplanets and their host
star
A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
s. The process involved public nomination and voting for the new names. In December 2015, the IAU announced the name Arkas for this planet. The winning name was submitted by the
Okayama
is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per km2. The total area is .
The city is ...
Astro Club of
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
Arkas
Arkas ( el, Αρκάς) is the pen name of a popular Greek comics artist that began working in early 1981. His comics have a unique style, often combining humor and deep philosophical questions. The structure of the stories are generally very ...
was the son of
Callisto (Ursa Major) in
Greek mythology.
See also
*
18 Delphini b
18 Delphini b (abbreviated 18 Del b), formally named Arion , is an extrasolar planet approximately 249 light-years away in the constellation of Delphinus.
The 993-day period planet orbits the yellow giant star 18 Delphini. A very massive and de ...
*
Xi Aquilae b
Xi Aquilae b (abbreviated ξ Aquilae b, ξ Aql b), formally named Fortitudo , is an extrasolar planet approximately 200 light-years from the Sun in the constellation of Aquila. The planet was discovered orbiting the yellow giant star Xi Aquilae ...
References
Ursa Major (constellation)
Giant planets
Exoplanets discovered in 2008
Exoplanets detected by radial velocity
Exoplanets with proper names
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