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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
general
Discovery of a cool planet of 5.5 Earth masses through gravitational microlensing
Nature, Volume 439, No. 7075, Year 2006
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Description
In the favoured core-accretion model of formation of planetary systems, solid planetesimals accumulate to build up planetary cores, which then accrete nebular gas if they are sufficiently massive. Around M-dwarf stars (the most common stars in our Galaxy), this model favours the formation of Earth-mass (M⊕) to Neptune-mass planets with orbital radii of 1 to 10 astronomical units (AU), which is consistent with the small number of gas giant planets known to orbit M-dwarf host stars1-4. More than 170 extrasolar planets have been discovered with a wide range of masses and orbital periods, but planets of Neptune's mass or less have not hitherto been detected at separations of more than 0.15 AU from normal stars. Here we report the discovery of a 5.5-2.7+5.5 M⊕ planetary companion at a separation of 2.6-0.6+1.5 AU from a 0.22-0.11+0.21 M⊙ M-dwarf star, where M⊙ refers to a solar mass. (We propose to name it OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, indicating a planetary mass companion to the lens star of the microlensing event.) The mass is lower than that of GJ876d (ref. 5), although the error bars overlap. Our detection suggests that such cool, sub-Neptune-mass planets may be more common than gas giant planets, as predicted by the core accretion theory. © 2006 Nature Publishing Group.
Authors & Co-Authors
Beaulieu, Jean Philippe H.
France, Paris
Institut D’astrophysique de Paris
Bennett, David P.
United States, Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
Fouqué, Pascal
France, Toulouse
Observatoire Midi-pyrénées
Williams, Andrew J.
Australia, Bickley
Perth Observatory
Dominik, Martin
United Kingdom, St Andrews
University of st Andrews
Jörgensen, Uffe Gråe
Denmark, Copenhagen
Niels Bohr Institutet
Kubas, Daniel
Chile, Santiago
European Southern Observatory Santiago
Cassan, Arnaud
France, Paris
Institut D’astrophysique de Paris
Coutures, Christian
France, Gif-sur-yvette
Cea Saclay
Greenhill, John G.
Australia, Hobart
University of Tasmania
Hill, Kym M.
Australia, Hobart
University of Tasmania
Menzies, John W.
South Africa, Cape Town
South African Astronomical Observatory
Sackett, Penny D.
Australia, Canberra
Australian National University, Mount Stromlo Observatory
Albrow, Michael D.
New Zealand, Christchurch
University of Canterbury
Brillant, Stéphanie
Chile, Santiago
European Southern Observatory Santiago
Caldwell, John A.R.
United States, Davis
Mcdonald Observatory
Calitz, J. J.
South Africa, Bloemfontein
University of the Free State
Cook, Kem H.
United States, Livermore
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Corrales, E.
France, Paris
Institut D’astrophysique de Paris
Desort, M.
France, Paris
Institut D’astrophysique de Paris
Dieters, Stefan W.B.
Australia, Hobart
University of Tasmania
Dominis, D.
Germany, Potsdam
Universität Potsdam
Germany, Potsdam
Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam
Donatowicz, J.
Austria, Vienna
Technische Universität Wien
Hoffman, Matie J.H.
Germany, Potsdam
Universität Potsdam
Germany, Potsdam
Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam
Kane, Stephen R.
United States, Gainesville
University of Florida
Marquette, Jean Baptiste
France, Paris
Institut D’astrophysique de Paris
Martin, Ralph
Australia, Bickley
Perth Observatory
Meintjes, Pieter J.
South Africa, Bloemfontein
University of the Free State
Pollard, Karen R.
New Zealand, Christchurch
University of Canterbury
Sahu, Kailash C.
United States, Baltimore
Space Telescope Science Institute
Vinter, C.
Denmark, Copenhagen
Niels Bohr Institutet
Wambsganss, Joachim
Germany, Heidelberg
Astronomisches Rechen-institut
Woller, Kristian G.
Denmark, Copenhagen
Niels Bohr Institutet
Hörne, Keith D.
United Kingdom, St Andrews
University of st Andrews
Steele, Iain A.
United Kingdom, Liverpool
Liverpool John Moores University
Bramich, Daniel M.
United Kingdom, St Andrews
University of st Andrews
United Kingdom, Liverpool
Liverpool John Moores University
Burgdorf, Martin J.
United Kingdom, Liverpool
Liverpool John Moores University
Snodgrass, Colin
United Kingdom, Belfast
Queen's University Belfast
Bode, Michael F.
United Kingdom, Liverpool
Liverpool John Moores University
Udalski, Andrzej
Poland, Warsaw
University of Warsaw
Szymánski, Michał K.
Poland, Warsaw
University of Warsaw
Kubiak, Marcin
Poland, Warsaw
University of Warsaw
Wiȩckowski, T.
Poland, Warsaw
University of Warsaw
Pietrzýnski, Grzegorz
Poland, Warsaw
University of Warsaw
Chile, Biobio
Universidad de Concepcion
Soszyński, Igor
Poland, Warsaw
University of Warsaw
Chile, Biobio
Universidad de Concepcion
Szewczyk, Olaf
Poland, Warsaw
University of Warsaw
Wyrzykowski, Łukasz
Poland, Warsaw
University of Warsaw
United Kingdom, Manchester
The University of Manchester
Paczyński, B.
United States, Princeton
Princeton University Observatory
Abe, Fumio
Japan, Nagoya
Nagoya University
Bond, Ian A.
New Zealand, Auckland
Massey University Auckland
Britton, T. R.
New Zealand, Christchurch
University of Canterbury
New Zealand, Auckland
The University of Auckland
Hearnshaw, John B.
New Zealand, Christchurch
University of Canterbury
Itow, Yoshitaka
Japan, Nagoya
Nagoya University
Kamiya, Koki
Japan, Nagoya
Nagoya University
Kilmartin, Pamela M.
New Zealand, Christchurch
University of Canterbury
Korpela, Aarno V.
New Zealand, Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington
Masuda, Kimiaki
Japan, Nagoya
Nagoya University
Matsubara, Yutaka
Japan, Nagoya
Nagoya University
Motomura, M.
Japan, Nagoya
Nagoya University
Muraki, Y.
Japan, Nagoya
Nagoya University
Nakamura, S.
Japan, Nagoya
Nagoya University
Okada, C.
Japan, Nagoya
Nagoya University
Ohnishi, Kouji
Japan, Nagano
National Institute of Technology, Nagano College
Rattenbury, Nicholas James
United Kingdom, Manchester
The University of Manchester
Sako, Takashi
Japan, Nagoya
Nagoya University
Sato, Shuji
Japan, Nagoya
Nagoya University
Sasaki, M.
Japan, Nagoya
Nagoya University
Sekiguchi, T.
Japan, Nagoya
Nagoya University
Sullivan, Denis J.
New Zealand, Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington
Tristram, Paul J.
New Zealand, Auckland
The University of Auckland
Yock, C. M.
New Zealand, Auckland
The University of Auckland
Yoshioka, Tsutomu
Japan, Nagoya
Nagoya University
Statistics
Citations: 522
Authors: 72
Affiliations: 32
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1038/nature04441
ISSN:
00280836
e-ISSN:
14764687