Sunday, July 3, 2016

Qatar-3b, Qatar-4b and Qatar-5b


Mislis et al. (2016) present the discovery of three massive hot-Jupiters identified as Qatar-3b, Qatar-4b and Qatar-5b. The three planets were detected by the Qatar Exoplanet Survey (QES). The orbital periods of Qatar-3b, Qatar-4b and Qatar-5b are 2.508 days, 1.805 days and 2.879 days, respectively. Follow-up spectroscopic observations also show that Qatar-3b, Qatar-4b and Qatar-5b have 4.31, 5.85 and 4.32 times the mass of Jupiter, respectively. All three planets are classified as massive hot-Jupiters (i.e. hot-Jupiters with more than 4 times the mass of Jupiter).

The equilibrium temperatures of Qatar-3b, Qatar-4b and Qatar-5b are estimated to be 1681 ± 84 K, 1570 ± 26 K and 1415 ± 31 K, respectively. These three massive hot-Jupiters orbit host stars that are quite similar to the Sun. The host star of Qatar-5b has a relatively high metallicity (i.e. it has a high abundance of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium), and it is one of the most metal-rich stars known to host a planet.

Reference:
Mislis et al. (2016), "Qatar Exoplanet Survey: Qatar-3b, Qatar-4b and Qatar-5b", arXiv:1606.06882 [astro-ph.EP]