KELT-2Ab is an
extrasolar planet
An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System. The first possible evidence of an exoplanet was noted in 1917 but was not recognized as such. The first confirmation of detection occurred in 1992. A different planet, init ...
that orbits the
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 ...
KELT-2A approximately 440
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
Auriga
AURIGA (''Antenna Ultracriogenica Risonante per l'Indagine Gravitazionale Astronomica'') is an ultracryogenic resonant bar gravitational wave detector in Italy. It is at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nuclea ...
.
It was discovered by the
KELT-North survey via the
transit
Transit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film
* ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world
* ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...
method, so both its mass and radius are known quite precisely. As of its discovery KELT-2Ab is the fifth-brightest transiting
Hot Jupiter
Hot Jupiters (sometimes called hot Saturns) are a class of gas giant exoplanets that are inferred to be physically similar to Jupiter but that have very short orbital periods (). The close proximity to their stars and high surface-atmosphere temp ...
known that has a well constrained mass. This makes the KELT-2A system a promising target for future space- and ground-based follow-up observations to learn about the planet's atmosphere.
The water vapour was detected in planetary atmosphere in 2018.
The star KELT-2A is a member of the common-proper-motion
binary star system
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 ...
KELT-2 (HD 42176). KELT-2B is an early
K dwarf approximately 295
astronomical unit
The astronomical unit (symbol: au, or or AU) is a unit of length, roughly the distance from Earth to the Sun and approximately equal to or 8.3 light-minutes. The actual distance from Earth to the Sun varies by about 3% as Earth orbits t ...
s away.
See also
*
KELT KELT may refer to:
*A Salmonid that has spawned and did not die as a result
*An alternative spelling of Celt
* KELT (FM), call letters of an FM radio station located in Encinal, Texas
* KELT, the former call letters of an FM radio station located i ...
*
KELT-9b
KELT-9b is an exoplanet—more specifically, an ultra-hot Jupiter—that orbits the late B-type/early A-type star KELT-9, located about 670 light-years from Earth. Detected using the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope, the discovery of KELT- ...
*
KELT-1
*
KELT-10
*
KELT-11b
References
External links
KELT-North survey website*
KELT-2Ab discovery lightcurve, with music
{{2012 in space
Auriga (constellation)
Hot Jupiters
Transiting exoplanets
Exoplanets discovered in 2012
Giant planets
Exoplanets discovered by KELT