New ultra-precise measurements reveal the orbital path of exoplanet 55 Cancri e (55 Cnc e), a scorchingly hot super-Earth closely circling a distant star. New research sheds light on how the “hell planet” got so devilishly hot and how other worlds might become too toasty for life. That rocky worl
By analyzing those measurements, astronomers discovered that Janssen orbits Copernicus along the star’s equator — unlike Copernicus’ other planets, which are on such different orbital paths that they never even cross between the star and Earth. The researchers reported their findings on December 8 in the journalThe implication is that Janssen probably formed in a relatively cooler orbit further out and slowly fell toward Copernicus over time.
A diagram of the star Copernicus from a new study investigating how the exoplanet 55 Cnc e orbits its star. The research revealed that the planet’s orbit broadly aligns with the star’s equator. This new information was obtained from precise measurements of the host star’s light. As Janssen moves between the star and Earth, the measured starlight dips. The resulting change in the star’s observed color depends on which half of the star Janssen is crossing.
Upon its discovery and confirmation, Janssen became the first known example of an ultra-short-period planet. Janssen’s orbit has a minimum radius of roughly 2 million kilometers. Janssen’s orbit is so snug around Copernicus that at first some astronomers doubted its existence. That method doesn’t tell you what direction the planet is moving in. To find that out, astronomers take advantage of the same Doppler effect used in speeding cameras. When a light source is moving toward you, the wavelength of the light you see is shorter . When it’s moving away, the frequency is shifted wider, and the light is redder.
The EXPRES measurements revealed that Janssen’s orbit is roughly aligned with Copernicus’ equator, a path that makes Janssen unique among its siblings.
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