Kepler System KOI-961
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Artist's concept image depicting a planetary system more like Jupiter and its moons than a star and its planets.
A newly detected system, called KOI-961, hosts three of the smallest exoplanets currently known. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
KOI-961 is a red dwarf star about 70% larger than Jupiter, located in Cygnus and is about 130 light-years from Earth. Recent studies of the KOI-961 system by the Kepler mission have detected three small exoplanets. The smallest exoplanet in the system is KOI-961.03, and is furthest from the host star.
Depicted in the foreground of the above image, KOI-961.O3 is about the size of Mars. Shown in the upper right is KOI-961.01, which is a world with just under 80% of Earth’s radius. Lastly, KOI-961.02, which is the closest to the host star, is a bit smaller than KOI-961.01 at just under 75% of Earth’s radius.
None of the detected worlds are considered “habitable”, as the habitable zone for the KOI-961 system is far beyond the orbits of the detected planets. The orbital periods of all three planets are less than two Earth days – the closest orbits the parent sun in less than twelve hours! Given the short distance from their host star, the surface temperatures are estimated to be in the 176 to 447 degrees Celsius range.
If you’d like to learn more about the Kepler mission, visit: http://kepler.nasa.gov/
Source: NASA Image Gallery
Ray Sanders is a Sci-Fi geek, astronomer and blogger. Currently researching variable stars at Arizona State University, he writes for Universe Today, The Planetary Society blog, and his own blog, Dear Astronomer
2012-12-04 08:07:29
Source: http://www.dearastronomer.com/2012/03/20/kepler-system-koi-961/
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