The Doppler method allows us to find a planet's semimajor axis using just the orbital period and the star's mass (Mathematical Insight Finding Orbital Distances for Extrasolar Planets).
a) Imagine that a new planet is discovered orbiting a 2 MSun star with a period of 9 days . What is its semimajor axis?
Express your answer using three significant figure. (m)
b) Another planet is discovered orbiting a 0.7 MSun star with a period of 100 days. What is its semimajor axis?
Express your answer using three significant figure. (m)
The Doppler method allows us to find a planet's semimajor axis using just the orbital period...
A resonance orbit is one in which planets have a fixed ratio of orbital periods. For example, for 2 planets with an orbital resonance of 3:1, the outer planet's orbital period would be 3 times that of the inner one. That is, the inner planet can complete 3 exact orbits whilst the outer one completes only one. This is a special type of orbital "locking". The two planets orbiting the nearby star are observed to be in a 2:1 resonance...
HD209458b was discovered in 1999, becoming the first exoplanet to be discovered using the transit method: this planet’s orbit is oriented just right, so that it regularly passes in front of its star, as seen from Earth. When this happens, it blocks out a portion of the star’s light. If astronomers notice the star’s brightness dipping for a short time over and over with a consistent period, it suggests a planet is responsible. Further observations of the star’s Doppler shift...
HD 85512 b was discovered by means of very high precision radial
velocity measurements using a telescope at La Silla in Chile. Use
the data in Table 1 (which tells you, among other things, the mass
of the star HD 85512) and the radial velocity information in Figure
2 to calculate:
i.the orbital semimajor axis (in km and AU)
ii.the mass (in kg and Earth masses) of HD 85512 b as fully as
you can.
Explain how you used the...