70 Virginis b

70 Virginis b is an exoplanet, which the Yellow Dwarf 70 Virginis all orbits 116.6884 days. Due to its high mass is assumed that it is a gas planet or a brown dwarf. It is attributed to the group of eccentric Jupiter.

Discovery

As the majority of exoplanets was also discovered that using the radial velocity method. The planet was detected in 1996 by Geoffrey Marcy and R. Paul Butler.

Circulation and mass

The planet orbits its star at an average distance of about 0,484 astronomical units, due to its high eccentricity of 0.40, he moves it in the course of a planet year from 0.28 to 0.67 astronomical units. Its mass is at least 2381 earth masses and 7.49 Jupiter masses. Since the inclination of the orbit is unclear, it could also be much higher, so that 70 Virginis b could be a brown dwarf. Its radius is estimated to 70,000 km, it is therefore about the size of Jupiter, but has a much higher density.

Climate and composition

It is estimated that there is on the planet's surface, a temperature of 130 ° C and 350 ° C in Apastron in periastron. Its atmosphere is likely to be cloudless and deep blue appear according to current theories, even if he were a " brown " dwarf. The composition of 70 Virginis b is unknown, probably it is like the gas giants in our solar system mainly of hydrogen and helium.