What does WASP-12b stand for?

What does WASP-12b stand for?

−68. WASP-12b is a hot Jupiter (a class of extrasolar planets) orbiting the star WASP-12, discovered on April 1, 2008, by the SuperWASP planetary transit survey. The planet takes only a little over one Earth day to orbit its star, in contrast to 365 days for the Earth to orbit the Sun.

What is WASP-12b made of?

The new data indicate that the WASP-12b atmosphere is composed of atomic hydrogen and helium. WASP-12b is only the second planet to have spectrally resolved albedo measurements, the first being HD 189733b, another hot Jupiter.

What happened WASP-12b?

The doomed planet WASP-12b is a hot Jupiter that orbits so close to its parent star, it’s being torn apart. The star’s scorching heat is slowly stripping away and devouring the planet’s atmosphere. In 10 million years, this alien world could be completely consumed.

Is WASP-12b the hottest planet?

WASP-12b: THE HOTTEST TRANSITING EXTRASOLAR PLANET YET DISCOVERED.

Is WASP-12b the darkest planet?

This is because the exoplanet, reflecting the star’s heat and light, adds to the system’s overall brightness when it’s not behind the star. WASP-12b is very dark, optically; it absorbs 94 percent of all light that shines on it, making it blacker than asphalt.

Where is planet WASP-12b?

constellation Auriga
WASP-12b is located roughly 1,200 light-years from Earth in the constellation Auriga. It was discovered in March 2009 using the transit method. It is 1.8 times Jupiter’s radius, and 1.4 times Jupiter’s mass.

Is WASP-12b in the habitable zone?

WASP-12b is only 0.0226 AU away from its star WASP-12, so it clearly does not lie within the habitable zone of its star.

Why is WASP-12b shaped like an egg?

Almost two times the size of our Jupiter, WASP-12b is a sizzling gas giant whose temperature is approximately 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,210 degrees Celsius). Gravity causes enormous tidal forces which are stretching the planet into the shape of an egg.