14 Herculis B - Orbit and Mass

Orbit and Mass

Preliminary astrometric measurements made by the Hipparcos satellite suggest that this planet has an orbital inclination of 155.3° with respect to plane of the sky, which would imply a true mass of 11.1 times that of Jupiter, close to the deuterium burning threshold that some astronomers use to define the distinction between a planet and a brown dwarf. However subsequent analysis suggests that the Hipparcos measurements were not precise enough to accurately determine the orbits, so the actual inclination and true mass of the planet remains unknown. Its inclination is being calculated via astrometry with Hubble. The astrometricians expect publication by mid 2009. It may also be targeted by future astrometric missions such as Gaia and the Space Interferometry Mission.

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