MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb

MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb, occasionally shortened to MOA-192 b,[2] is an extrasolar planet approximately 3,000 light-years away in the constellation of Sagittarius. The planet was discovered orbiting the brown dwarf or low-mass star MOA-2007-BLG-192L. At a mass of approximately 3.3 times Earth, it is one of the lowest-mass extrasolar planets at the time of discovery. It was found when it caused a gravitational microlensing event on May 24, 2007, which was detected as part of the MOA-II microlensing survey at the Mount John University Observatory in New Zealand.[1]

MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb
An artist's impression of MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb orbiting its primary.
Discovery
Discovered byBennett et al.
Discovery siteMount John University
Observatory,
 New Zealand
Discovery date30 May 2008
Gravitational microlensing
Orbital characteristics
StarMOA-2007-BLG-192L
Physical characteristics
Mass3.3+4.9−1.6[1] M⊕

    The system's primary is small as well. At roughly 6% the mass of the Sun, it is probably too small to sustain fusion reactions, making it a dimly glowing brown dwarf.[3] Also, the estimated projected distance between MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb and its primary is approximately 0.62 astronomical units.[1] That means the planet probably formed with much ice and gases, more like Neptune (an ice giant planet) in composition than Earth (a terrestrial planet), according to astronomer David Bennett of the University of Notre Dame.[3]

    References
    1. Bennett, D. P.; Bond, I. A.; Udalski, A.; et al. (2008), "A Low-Mass Planet with a Possible Sub-Stellar-Mass Host in Microlensing Event MOA-2007-BLG-192", The Astrophysical Journal, 684 (1): 663–683, arXiv:0806.0025, Bibcode:2008ApJ...684..663B, doi:10.1086/589940
    2. Planet Quest: New Worlds Atlas Archived 2008-07-01 at the Wayback Machine, JPL. Accessed on line July 2, 2008.
    3. Smallest Extrasolar Planet Portends Other Earths, Richard A. Kerr, ScienceNOW Daily News, June 2, 2008. Accessed on line June 16, 2008.

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