HD 1237 is a

binary star A binary star is a system of two stars that are gravitationally bound to and in orbit around each other. Binary stars in the night sky that are seen as a single object to the naked eye are often resolved using a telescope as separate stars, in wh ...

system approximately 57

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 away 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 Hydrus (the Water Snake). The visible star in the system, A, is considered to be a solar analog due close mass to the sun. HD 1237 differs from the sun in that HD 1237 is much younger, has high metallicity, has much cooler temperature and is in a binary system. As of 2000, it has been confirmed that an extrasolar planet orbits the star. It is of note for being a relatively Sun-like star not very far from the Sun that is home to an extrasolar planet.

Stellar components

As a nearby Sun-like star, the last decade has seen HD 1237 A being studied carefully for the first time, especially after its substellar companion was discovered. It is currently believed that it is 800 million years old, though age estimates range from 150 million to 8.8 billion years old depending on the method used for the determination. The star is more enriched with iron than the Sun, is chromospherically active, and rotates around its axis more quickly than the Sun. The secondary star was discovered in 2006 during a deep imaging survey conducted at the

European Southern Observatory The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, commonly referred to as the European Southern Observatory (ESO), is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental research organisation made up of 16 mem ...

using the Very Large Telescope. HD 1237 B is a M4

red dwarf ''Red Dwarf'' is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. T ...

star at a

projected separation This glossary of astronomy is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to astronomy and cosmology, their sub-disciplines, and related fields. Astronomy is concerned with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outsid ...

of 68 AU.

Planetary system

Announced in 2000, the Jovian planet GJ 3021 b (GJ 3021 being an alternate less-used designation for this star) orbits about 0.5 astronomical units from HD 1237 A with a minimum mass 3.37 times that of Jupiter, as determined by measuring variations in the

radial velocity The radial velocity or line-of-sight velocity, also known as radial speed or range rate, of a target with respect to an observer is the temporal rate of change, rate of change of the distance or Slant range, range between the two points. It is e ...

of the star. A study published in 2001 suggested that the usual inability to determine the orbital inclination of an extrasolar planet through radial velocity measurement had caused this mass to be severely underestimated. The

astrometric Astrometry is a branch of astronomy that involves precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars and other celestial bodies. It provides the kinematics and physical origin of the Solar System and this galaxy, the Milky Way. Histor ...

orbit gives an orbital inclination of 11.8° and a mass of 16 Jupiter masses, which would make the object a brown dwarf. However, later analysis showed that

Hipparcos ''Hipparcos'' was a scientific satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA), launched in 1989 and operated until 1993. It was the first space experiment devoted to precision astrometry, the accurate measurement of the positions of celestial obj ...

was not sensitive enough to accurately determine astrometric orbits for substellar companions, which means the inclination (and hence the true mass) of the planet are still unknown.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:HD 1237 CD-80 9 3021 001237 001292 Hydrus Planetary systems with one confirmed planet Binary stars G-type main-sequence stars J00161266-7951042

Stellar components

Planetary system

See also

References