61 Virginis - Planetary System

Planetary System

The ecliptic of the 61 Virginis system, as inferred from its dust disc, is inclined to the Solar system at 77◦. The star itself is likely inclined at 72◦

In 1988, a study surmised that 61 Virginis was a "possible variable", but no companions were then found. A subsequent study, over eleven years, also failed to find any companion up to the mass of Jupiter and out to 3 AU.

On 14 December 2009, scientists announced the discovery of three planets with masses between 5 and 25 times that of Earth orbiting 61 Virginis. The three planets all orbit very near the star; when compared to the orbits of the planets in our solar system, all three would orbit inside that of Venus. The outermost of these three, d, has not yet been confirmed in the HARPS data.

A survey with the Spitzer Space Telescope revealed an excess of infrared radiation at a wavelength of 160 μm. This indicated the presence of a debris disk in orbit around the star. This disk was resolved at 70 μm. It was then thought to correspond to an inner radius of 96 AU from the star and outer radius at 195 AU; it is now constrained 30 to over 100 AU. The total mass of the disk is 5 × 10−5 the mass of the Earth.

On 27 November 2012, the European Space Agency declared that the debris disc (like Gliese 581's, recently found) has "at least 10 times" as many comets as does the Solar system.

As of 2012, "planets more massive than Saturn orbiting within 6 AU" were ruled out. The ESA has further ruled out Saturn-mass planets beyond that.

Additional data is needed to confirm the possibility of more sub-Saturn planets between 0.5 (really, 0.3) and 30 AU from the star. An Earth-mass planet in the star's habitable zone (which would still be too small to detect with current technology) remains possible.

The 61 Virginis system
Companion
Mass Semimajor axis
Orbital period
Eccentricity Radius
b 5.3 ± 0.5 M 0.050201 ± 0.000005 4.2150 ± 0.0006 0.12 ± 0.11
c 18.8 ± 1.1 M 0.2175 ± 0.0001 38.021 ± 0.034 0.14 ± 0.06
d 23.7 ± 2.7 M 0.476 ± 0.001 123.01 ± 0.55 0.35 ± 0.09
Debris disk 30–>100 AU

Read more about this topic:  61 Virginis

Famous quotes containing the words planetary and/or system:

    We cannot cheat on DNA. We cannot get round photosynthesis. We cannot say I am not going to give a damn about phytoplankton. All these tiny mechanisms provide the preconditions of our planetary life. To say we do not care is to say in the most literal sense that “we choose death.”
    Barbara Ward (1914–1981)

    In the end we beat them with Levi 501 jeans. Seventy-two years of Communist indoctrination and propaganda was drowned out by a three-ounce Sony Walkman. A huge totalitarian system ... has been brought to its knees because nobody wants to wear Bulgarian shoes.... Now they’re lunch, and we’re number one on the planet.
    —P.J. (Patrick Jake)