Extrasolar Visions - Gliese 876 c

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Water Cloud Jovian, Eccentric

Object Type:

Water Cloud Jovian, Eccentric

Parent Star:

Gliese 876 (M4 V)

Discovery Status:

Confirmed

Habitability:

Planet at Earthlike Temperatures at Mean Orbital Distance

Current Planet

Habitability Zone

Mass ( M sin i ):

0.56 Jupiters

Periastron Distance:

0.09 AU

Mean Distance:

0.13 AU

Apastron Distance:

0.16 AU

Orbital Period:

30.12 Days

Eccentricity:

0.27

Argument of Perihelion (omega):

330 °

Radial Velocity of Star:

81 m/s

Planet Appearance:

White water ice clouds

Estimated Radius:

0.952 Jupiters ¹

Estimated Periastron Temp:

294 Kelvin

Estimated Mean Temp:

251 Kelvin

Estimated Apastron Temp:

223 Kelvin

Temp from
Internal Heating :

83.5955 Kelvins ²

Max Angular Star Size:

2.482°

Mean Angular Star Size:

1.718°

Min Angular Star Size:

1.396°

Gravitational Influence
(Hill Sphere):

0.01 AU / 1600000 km

Max Stable Prograde Moon Orbit:

0.003 AU / 570000 km

Max Moon Mass:

0.002 Earths ³^,⁴
0.9569 x Pluto

Tidally locked if older than:

> 20 Gyr ⁵

Estimated Bond Albedo:

~ 0.56 ⁶

Notes:
    ¹ from planet formation models of Burrows et al
    ² from planet formation models of Burrows et al
    ³ assuming age of 5 Gyr
    ⁴ based on periastron due to high eccentricity
    ⁵ orbit may be too eccentric for 1:1 tidal lock
    ⁶ from Sudarsky et al. 2000

Year Discovered:

2001

Detection Method:

Doppler Spectroscopy

Discovered By:

Marcy et al

Click image below to enlarge

This planet is locked in a 1:2 harmonic orbit with it's sibling Gliese 876 b.

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	Gliese 876 c Reflecting the dim light of its parent red dwarf star, the bright water clouds of Gliese 876 c appear yellowish. In the foreground, a tiny rocky moon with barely the mass of Pluto orbits above the planet. The planet's dark rings bear witness to more massive moons that were long ago disrupted by tidal forces.
	Gliese 876 Close Approach Off the limb of Gliese 876 c looms the bright disk of Gliese 876 b. During close approaches such as this, the two giant planets are only about a tenth of an AU apart.