OGLE-2005-BLG-169Lb 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 ...

located approximately 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 Sagittarius, orbiting the star

OGLE-2005-BLG-169L OGLE-2005-BLG-169L is a dim and distant magnitude 20 galactic bulge star located about 2,700 parsecs away in the constellation Sagittarius. If it is a main sequence star, then it is most likely a red dwarf with about half of the mass of t ...

. This planet was discovered by the

OGLE Ogle may refer to: Places * Ogle County, Illinois, United States * Original name of Ashton, Illinois, a village * Ogle, Kentucky, United States, an unincorporated community * Ogle Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States * Ogle, Nor ...

project using the

gravitational microlensing Gravitational microlensing is an astronomical phenomenon due to the gravitational lens effect. It can be used to detect objects that range from the mass of a planet to the mass of a star, regardless of the light they emit. Typically, astronomers ...

method. Based on a most likely mass for the host star of 0.49

solar mass The solar mass () is a standard unit of mass in astronomy, equal to approximately . It is often used to indicate the masses of other stars, as well as stellar clusters, nebulae, galaxies and black holes. It is approximately equal to the mass ...

(), the planet has a mass of 13 times that of

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

(). Its mass and estimated temperature are close to those of

Uranus Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. Its name is a reference to the Greek god of the sky, Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Caelus), who, according to Greek mythology, was the great-grandfather of Ares (Mars (mythology), Mars), grandfather ...

. It is speculated that this planet may either be an

ice giant An ice giant is a giant planet composed mainly of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, such as oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. There are two ice giants in the Solar System: Uranus and Neptune. In astrophysics and planetary science t ...

like Uranus, or a "naked super-Earth" with a solid icy or rocky surface.

References

External links

* * * Sagittarius (constellation) Exoplanets discovered in 2006 Giant planets Exoplanets detected by microlensing {{extrasolar-planet-stub es:OGLE-2005-BLG-169L#OGLE-2005-BLG-169Lb

See also

References

External links