HD 189733

HD 189733

Star

HD 189733 - an orange dwarf 64.5 light-years away in Vulpecula, orbited by one of the most intensely studied planets beyond the Solar System: a transiting hot Jupiter whose deep-blue colour and violent weather have been measured directly. Because the planet both transits and is nearby, it has become a workhorse for reading exoplanet atmospheres.

Open in 3D viewSee HD 189733 in the live, interactive 3D map

Key facts

Mass
1.57 × 10³⁰ kg
0.79 M☉
Radius
521,775 km
75% of the Sun's radius
Surface temperature
5,052 K (4779 °C)
Luminosity
1.32 × 10²⁶ W
Spectral type
K2V (orange dwarf)

Science

Physical

Mass
1.57 × 10³⁰ kg · 0.79 M☉
Radius
521,775 km · 75% of the Sun's radius
Density
2,641 kg/m³ · 2.6× water
Spectral type
K2V (orange dwarf)

Rotation

Note
Rotates about once every 12 days; its starspots are seen as the planet crosses them.

Composition

By mass
A hydrogen/helium orange dwarf a bit cooler and smaller than the Sun, with a faint red-dwarf companion. It is moderately active, but bright and close enough that its transiting giant planet has become the reference world for reading exoplanet skies.

Temperature

Surface
5,052 K (4779 °C)

Radiation & temperature

Luminosity
1.32 × 10²⁶ W · 0.346 L☉
Surface temperature
5,052 K (4779 °C)
Peak wavelength
574 nm · yellow light

Discovery & history

Name
A catalogue designation (Henry Draper 189733); the star also carries the variable-star name V452 Vulpeculae.

The transiting giant was found in 2005. Being bright and close, it let astronomers make firsts in exoplanet science: a temperature map (2007), the detection of its true colour - deep blue - from Hubble (2013), and measurements of ferocious ~8,000 km/h winds and possible sideways-raining glass. Its blue is scattered light, not an ocean.

Images

Images from open archives · credit shown per image