WASP-13b
WASP-13b, also known as Cruinlagh, is an extrasolar planet that was discovered in 2008 in the orbit of the sunlike star WASP-13. The planet has a mass of nearly half that of Jupiter, but a radius five-quarters of the size of Jupiter. This low relative mass might be caused by a core that is of low mass or that is not present at all.
Size comparison of WASP-13b with Jupiter. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Skillen et al. (SuperWASP) |
| Discovery date | April 1, 2008 |
| Transit | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 0.05379 +0.00059 −0.00077 AU | |
| 4.353011 (± 1.3e-05) d | |
| Inclination | 85.64 (± 0.24) |
| Star | WASP-13 |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean radius | 1.365 +0.062 −0.054 RJ |
| Mass | 0.485 +0.058 −0.052 MJ |
| Temperature | 1,356 K (1,083 °C; 1,981 °F) |
The planet orbits at approximately 5% of the distance between the Sun and Earth every four days. The star was observed several times between 2006 and 2009, at first through the SuperWASP program and later through focused follow-up observations. Analysis of collected radial velocity measurements led to the discovery of Cruinlagh, which was reported in a journal on April 7, 2009. A follow-up study published in 2011 investigated the cause for inflated planets such as Cruinlagh, and re-examined (and re-constrained) its mass, radius, density, and age.