Kepler-35 is a

binary star A binary star or binary star system is a system of two stars that are gravitationally bound to and in orbit around each other. Binary stars in the night sky that are seen as a single object to the naked eye are often resolved as separate stars us ...

system in the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The first constellati ...

of Cygnus. These stars, called Kepler-35A and Kepler-35B have masses of 89% and 81% solar masses respectively, and both are assumed to be of spectral class G. They are separated by 0.176 AU, and complete an eccentric orbit around a common center of mass every 20.73 days.

Description

The Kepler-35 system consists of two stars slightly less massive than the sun in a 21-day orbit aligned edge-on to us so that the stars eclipse each other. The orbit has a

semi-major axis In geometry, the major axis of an ellipse is its longest diameter: a line segment that runs through the center and both foci, with ends at the two most widely separated points of the perimeter. The semi-major axis (major semiaxis) is the longe ...

and a mild eccentricity of 0.16. of The precise measurements made by the Kepler satellite allow doppler beaming to be detected, as well as brightness variations due to the ellipsoidal shape of the stars and reflections of one star on the other. The primary star has a mass of and a radius fractionally larger than the sun. With an

effective temperature The effective temperature of a body such as a star or planet is the temperature of a black body that would emit the same total amount of electromagnetic radiation. Effective temperature is often used as an estimate of a body's surface temperature ...

of , its luminosity is . The secondary star has a mass of , a radius of , an effective surface temperature of , and a

bolometric luminosity Luminosity is an absolute measure of radiated electromagnetic energy per unit time, and is synonymous with the radiant power emitted by a light-emitting object. In astronomy, luminosity is the total amount of electromagnetic energy emitted per ...

of .

Planetary system

Kepler-35b is a

gas giant A gas giant is a giant planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter and Saturn are the gas giants of the Solar System. The term "gas giant" was originally synonymous with "giant planet". However, in the 1990s, it became known that Uranu ...

that orbits the two stars in the Kepler-35 system. The planet is over an eighth of Jupiter's mass and has a radius of 0.728 Jupiter radii. The planet completes a somewhat eccentric orbit every 131.458 days from a semimajor axis of just over 0.6 AU, only about 3.5 times the semi-major axis between the parent stars. The proximity and eccentricity of the binary star as well as both stars have similar masses results the planet's orbit to significantly deviate from Keplerian orbit. Studies have suggested that this planet must have been formed outside its current orbit and migrated inwards later. The eccentricity of planetary orbit is acquired on the last stage of migration, due to interaction with the residual debris disk. Numerical simulation of formation of planetary system Kepler-35 has shown the formation of additional rocky planets in the habitable zone is highly likely, and these planetary orbits are stable.

Description

Planetary system

See also

References

Further reading