Kepler-35 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 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
Cygnus. These stars, called Kepler-35A and Kepler-35B have masses of 89% and 81% solar masses respectively, and both are assumed to be of spectral class G. They are separated by 0.176
AU, and complete an eccentric orbit around a common center of mass every 20.73 days.
Description
The Kepler-35 system consists of two stars slightly less massive than the sun in a 21-day orbit aligned edge-on to us so that the stars eclipse each other. The orbit has 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 ...
and a mild eccentricity of 0.16. of The precise measurements made by the
Kepler satellite allow
doppler beaming
Relativistic beaming (also known as Doppler beaming, Doppler boosting, or the headlight effect) is the process by which relativistic effects modify the apparent luminosity of emitting matter that is moving at speeds close to the speed of lig ...
to be detected, as well as brightness variations due to the ellipsoidal shape of the stars and reflections of one star on the other.
The primary star has a mass of and a radius fractionally larger than the sun. With an
effective temperature
The effective temperature of a body such as a star or planet is the temperature of a black body that would emit the same total amount of electromagnetic radiation. Effective temperature is often used as an estimate of a body's surface temperature ...
of , its luminosity is . The secondary star has a mass of , a radius of , an effective surface temperature of , and a
bolometric luminosity of .
Planetary system
Kepler-35b is a
gas giant that orbits the two stars in the Kepler-35 system. The planet is over an eighth of
Jupiter's mass and has a radius of 0.728
Jupiter radii. The planet completes a somewhat eccentric orbit every 131.458 days from a semimajor axis of just over 0.6 AU, only about 3.5 times the semi-major axis between the parent stars. The proximity and eccentricity of the binary star as well as both stars have similar masses results the planet's orbit to significantly deviate from Keplerian orbit.
[ Studies have suggested that this planet must have been formed outside its current orbit and migrated inwards later.][ The eccentricity of planetary orbit is acquired on the last stage of migration, due to interaction with the residual debris disk.][
Numerical simulation of formation of planetary system Kepler-35 has shown the formation of additional rocky planets in the habitable zone is highly likely, and these planetary orbits are stable.][
]
See also
* Kepler-16
*Kepler-34
Kepler-34 is an eclipsing binary star system in the constellation of Cygnus. Both stars have roughly the same mass as the Sun and, like the Sun, both are spectral class G. They are separated by 0.22 AU, and complete an eccentric (e=0.5 ...
*Kepler-38
Kepler-38 is a binary star system in the constellation Lyra. These stars, called Kepler-38A and Kepler-38B have masses of 95% and 25% solar masses respectively. The brighter star is spectral class G while the secondary has spectral class ...
References
Further reading
{{2012 in space
Cygnus (constellation)
Eclipsing binaries
Planetary transit variables
2937
G-type main-sequence stars
Circumbinary planets
Planetary systems with one confirmed planet
J19375927+4641231