Hot Jupiter

Hot Jupiter

Hot Jupiters (also called roaster planets, epistellar jovians, pegasids or pegasean planets) are a class of extrasolar planets whose characteristics are similar to Jupiter, however, with high surface temperatures because they orbit very close to their parent stars, between approximately 0.015 and 0.5 astronomical unit (2.2×10^6 and 75×10^6 km) of their parent stars, while Jupiter orbits its parent star (the Sun) at 5.2 astronomical units (780×10^6 km), causing low surface temperatures.

One of the most well-known hot Jupiters is 51 Pegasi b, nicknamed Bellerophon. Discovered in 1995, it was the first extrasolar planet found orbiting a Sun-like star.

Read more about Hot Jupiter:  General Characteristics, Terrestrial Planets in Systems With Hot Jupiters, Retrograde Orbit, Ultra-short-period Planets, Puffy Planets

Famous quotes containing the words hot and/or jupiter:

    But the hot hell that always in him burns,
    Though in mid Heaven, soon ended his delight,
    And tortures him now more, the more he sees
    Of pleasure not for him ordained. Then soon
    Fierce hate he recollects, and all his thoughts
    Of mischief, gratulating, thus excites:
    John Milton (1608–1674)

    If Jupiter should hurl a bolt whenever men sin,
    His armory would quickly be empty.
    Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso)