Eccentric Jupiter
An eccentric Jupiter is a Jovian planet that orbits its star in an eccentric orbit.[1] Eccentric Jupiters may probably disqualify a planetary system from having Earth-like planets (though not from having habitable exomoons) in it because a massive gas giant with an eccentric orbit may remove all Earth mass exoplanets from the habitable zone, if not from the system entirely.
To date, it appears that approximately 7% of all stars (half of the known planetary systems) have an eccentric Jupiter (e > 0.1), making these planets more common than Hot Jupiters.
Out of the more than 200 extrasolar planet discoveries (as of 2006), 15 planets have high eccentricities (e > 0.6).[2]
The typical exoplanet with an orbital period greater than 5 days has a median eccentricity of 0.23.[3]
Possible habitable zone planets near eccentric Jupiters:[2]
Planet | SMA | ecc | MJ | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
HD 3651 b | 0.29 | 0.61 | 0.22 | Might allow for planets at or beyond 0.6 AU |
HD 37605 b | 0.26 | 0.73 | 2.84 | Might allow for planets at or beyond 0.8 AU |
HD 45350 b | 1.92 | 0.77 | 1.79 | Restricted stable orbits to the innermost 0.2 AU |
HD 80606 b | 0.45 | 0.93 | 4.0 | Only beyond 1.75 AU did simulated particles remain |
HD 20782 b | 1.381 | 0.97 | 2.620 | |
HD 89744 b | 0.93 | 0.67 | 8.58 | No terrestrial planets in the habitable zone |
16 Cygni Bb | 1.68 | 0.68 | 1.68 | No terrestrial planets in the habitable zone |
See also
References
- Raymond, Sean N.; Quinn, Thomas; Lunine, Jonathan I. (March 2004). "Making other earths: dynamical simulations of terrestrial planet formation and water delivery". Icarus. 168 (1): 1–17. arXiv:astro-ph/0308159. Bibcode:2004Icar..168....1R. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2003.11.019. Note: this study treats eccentric Jupiters as giant planets having an orbital eccentricity of 0.1 or greater.
- Wittenmyer; Endl, Michael; Cochran, William D.; Levison, Harold F. (2007). "Dynamical and Observational Constraints on Additional Planets in Highly Eccentric Planetary Systems". The Astronomical Journal. 134 (3): 1276–1284. arXiv:0706.1962. Bibcode:2007AJ....134.1276W. doi:10.1086/520880.
- Kathryn; Fischer; Marcy; et al. (2009). "Old, Rich, and Eccentric: Two Jovian Planets Orbiting Evolved Metal-Rich Stars". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 121 (880): 613–620. arXiv:0904.2786. Bibcode:2009PASP..121..613P. doi:10.1086/599862.