系外行星今现身

据美国加利福尼亚大学伯克利分校费舍尔等人近日宣布,他们发现了一个与太阳系类似的行星系统。在这一系统中,两颗行星围绕一颗化学构成与太阳相似的恒星运行。这一行星系统中的恒星距离地球45光年,被命名为“大熊星座47”。以圆形轨道绕恒星运行的两颗行星呈气状,体积巨大,类似木星。以     

基于伊巴谷数据分析的红团簇巨星的铁丰度

给出了１７颗红团簇巨星的观测资料,确定了这些样本得的恒星大气参数,得到了这些巨星的铁丰度,并且讨论了铁丰度与恒星大气参数的相关性,根据铁丰度与表面重力以及恒星质量和有效温度之间的相关性,可以将这类红团簇巨星细分为２类,一类质量较大,具有较大的表面重力和金属丰度,另一类贫金属星,其质量和表面重力都相对偏小。对每一类恒星,其质量和表面重力都随着有效温度的增高而线性增大。     

两颗太阳孪生星的光谱分析与太阳颜色的确定

利用国家天文台兴隆观测站2．16米望远镜的折轴摄谱仪，获得了两颗太阳孪生星HD146233和HD195034的高分辨率光谱数据，经过光谱匹配、化学组成和色球活动比较，发现这两颗恒星除Li元素丰度之外，其他的特征都非常相似于太阳．同时，我们对文献中已发现的九颗太阳孪生星候选体（包括HD146233和HD195034）进行进一步检验，从中选出6颗太阳孪生星确定了太阳的Johnson／Cousins，Tycho，2MASS，Stromgren测光系统的颜色，即（BVV）⊙=0．644mag，（V—Ic）⊙=0．707mag，（BT-VT）⊙=0．726mag，（J-H）⊙=0．280mag，（H—K）⊙=0．066mag，（v-y）⊙=1．028mag，（v—b）⊙=0．619mag，（u-v）⊙=0．954mag，（b-y）⊙=0．409mag．特别地，我们确定的太阳色指数（V—Ic）⊙，（BT-VT）⊙，（J-H）⊙，（H—K）⊙，（v—y）⊙，（v-b）⊙和（u—v）⊙的值以更高的精度更新了先前的结果．     

在银河系中大约有8%的恒星与太阳相似

在寻找与地球类似的行星时,应该观测什么目标才好呢?对观测来说,最重要的就是行星系统中心的恒星,也就是"主星"。太阳属于"G型星",开普勒卫星主要观测的对象,也是这一类型的恒星。根据现有的观测结果,在银河系的全部恒星中,G型星大约占8%。银河系内大约有1000亿颗恒星,也就是说,大约有80亿颗G型星存在。G型星的寿命大约是100亿年。地球上的生命诞生,发生在太阳和地球形成的约10亿年后。所以,G型星的寿命足够支撑其绕转行星(如果有的话)的生命产生和进化。作为类地行星的主星,如果该恒星远比太阳明亮的话,就会有问题了。越是明亮的     

空中有多个太阳吗

美国加州理工学院的天文学家在新近出版 的《自然》杂志上报告说,他们发现天鹅星座中 的HD188753星系中有3颗恒星。处于该星系中 心的一颗恒星与太阳系中的太阳类似,它旁边 的行星体积至少比木星大14％。该行星与中心恒 星的距离大约为800万千米,是太阳和地球之间 距离的二十分之一。而星系的另外两颗恒星处 于外围,它们彼此相距不远,也围绕中心恒星公 转。 银河系中的星系多为单星系或双星系,具 有三颗以上恒星的星系被称为聚星系,不太多 见。 恒星并不是平均分布在宇宙之中,多数的 恒星会受彼此的引力影响,形成聚星系统,如双     

假如我们有两个太阳

太阳是一个相对孤独的恒星,在它的周围只有行星而没有其他恒星,但是根据天文学家的观测,宇宙中许多恒星有一个甚至多个伙伴,例如《星球大战》中的行星“塔图因”的天空中就有两个“太阳”,那么生活在拥有两个“太阳”的星球上的感觉究竟如何呢？天文学家将有两个恒星相互绕转的系统称为双星系统。如果两颗恒星间的距离比较遥远,那么彼此绕着...     

近太阳金属丰度恒星的中子俘获元素丰度

在我们提出的利用３种中子俘获过程的典型元素丰度观测值研究不同金属度下不同核合成过程对重元素丰度的贡献的方法的基础上,计算了近太阳金属丰度恒星的重元素的平均丰度,并将计算结果与观测结果进行了比较 。     

年轻类太阳星的测光研究

以X-ray亮度为标准,选取了16颗G型的年轻类太阳恒星进行了测光观测,并通过眦软件经行了测光处理,获得了9颗年轻类太阳恒星的自转周期.结合一些T Tauri型星、零龄主序恒星的自转周期,X-ray亮度得到自转较快的类太阳恒星与自转较慢的这些恒星比较,前者具有更强的X-ray辐射.但是,当恒星自转极快时,却并未发现自转和X-ray辐射强度之间的明显相关性.     

微聚焦

【红巨星吞噬行星】 英仙座的BD＋48740是一颗比太阳大11倍、年龄比太阳还大的恒星。美国宾夕法尼亚州立大学在对它进行光谱分析时发现其含有大量的锂。锂一般不会在恒星上长时间存在，因此这颗恒星很可能刚吞噬了一颗行星。这个过程相当快，难得一见。这可能就是地球将来的命运。     

再生AGB星重核素丰度演化

以１３Ｃ（α，ｎ）１６Ｏ及２２Ｎｅ（α，ｎ）２５Ｍｇ作为双脉冲中子源，对于低质量ＡＧＢ星，采用无分叉ｓ－过程反应通道，结合最近恒星演化的计算结果，在各物理参量合理取值范围内，计算了ＡＧＢ星Ｈｅ壳层内、表面重核素的丰度，在此基础上将星风吸积模型同内禀ＡＧＢ星核合成模型结合起来计算外赋ＡＧＢ星重元素的超丰；以此为丰度初始条件，计算了再生ＡＧＢ星重核素的丰度的演化     

Evidence for planet engulfment by the star HD82943

Current models of the evolution of the known extrasolar planetary systems need to incorporate orbital migration and/or gravitational interactions among giant planets to explain the presence of large bodies close to their parent stars. These processes could also lead to planets being ingested by their parent stars, which would alter the relative abundances of elements heavier than helium in the stellar atmospheres. In particular, the abundance of the rare 6Li isotope, which is normally destroyed in the early evolution of solar-type stars but preserved intact in the atmospheres of giant planets, would be boosted substantially. 6Li has not hitherto been observed reliably in a metal-rich star, where metallicity refers to the total abundance of elements heavier than helium. Here we report the discovery of 6Li in the atmosphere of the metal-rich solar-type star HD82943, which is known to have an orbiting giant planet. The presence of 6Li can probably be interpreted as evidence for a planet (or planets) having been engulfed by the parent star.     

A closely packed system of low-mass, low-density planets transiting Kepler-11

When an extrasolar planet passes in front of (transits) its star, its radius can be measured from the decrease in starlight and its orbital period from the time between transits. Multiple planets transiting the same star reveal much more: period ratios determine stability and dynamics, mutual gravitational interactions reflect planet masses and orbital shapes, and the fraction of transiting planets observed as multiples has implications for the planarity of planetary systems. But few stars have more than one known transiting planet, and none has more than three. Here we report Kepler spacecraft observations of a single Sun-like star, which we call Kepler-11, that reveal six transiting planets, five with orbital periods between 10 and 47?days and a sixth planet with a longer period. The five inner planets are among the smallest for which mass and size have both been measured, and these measurements imply substantial envelopes of light gases. The degree of coplanarity and proximity of the planetary orbits imply energy dissipation near the end of planet formation.     

An extremely primitive star in the Galactic halo

The early Universe had a chemical composition consisting of hydrogen, helium and traces of lithium; almost all other elements were subsequently created in stars and supernovae. The mass fraction of elements more massive than helium, Z, is known as 'metallicity'. A number of very metal-poor stars has been found, some of which have a low iron abundance but are rich in carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. For theoretical reasons and because of an observed absence of stars with Z?相似文献   

An extrasolar planetary system with three Neptune-mass planets

Over the past two years, the search for low-mass extrasolar planets has led to the detection of seven so-called 'hot Neptunes' or 'super-Earths' around Sun-like stars. These planets have masses 5-20 times larger than the Earth and are mainly found on close-in orbits with periods of 2-15 days. Here we report a system of three Neptune-mass planets with periods of 8.67, 31.6 and 197 days, orbiting the nearby star HD 69830. This star was already known to show an infrared excess possibly caused by an asteroid belt within 1 au (the Sun-Earth distance). Simulations show that the system is in a dynamically stable configuration. Theoretical calculations favour a mainly rocky composition for both inner planets, while the outer planet probably has a significant gaseous envelope surrounding its rocky/icy core; the outer planet orbits within the habitable zone of this star.     

An extrasolar planet that transits the disk of its parent star

Planets orbiting other stars could in principle be found through the periodic dimming of starlight as a planet moves across--or 'transits'--the line of sight between the observer and the star. Depending on the size of the planet relative to the star, the dimming could reach a few per cent of the apparent brightness of the star. Despite many searches, no transiting planet has been discovered in this way; the one known transiting planet--HD209458b--was first discovered using precise measurements of the parent star's radial velocity and only subsequently detected photometrically. Here we report radial velocity measurements of the star OGLE-TR-56, which was previously found to exhibit a 1.2-day transit-like light curve in a survey looking for gravitational microlensing events. The velocity changes that we detect correlate with the light curve, from which we conclude that they are probably induced by an object of around 0.9 Jupiter masses in an orbit only 0.023 au from its star. We estimate the planetary radius to be around 1.3 Jupiter radii and its density to be about 0.5 g x cm(-3). This object is hotter than any known planet (approximately 1,900 K), but is still stable against long-term evaporation or tidal disruption.     

A young massive planet in a star-disk system

There is a general consensus that planets form within disks of dust and gas around newly born stars. Details of their formation process, however, are still a matter of ongoing debate. The timescale of planet formation remains unclear, so the detection of planets around young stars with protoplanetary disks is potentially of great interest. Hitherto, no such planet has been found. Here we report the detection of a planet of mass (9.8+/-3.3)M(Jupiter) around TW Hydrae (TW Hya), a nearby young star with an age of only 8-10 Myr that is surrounded by a well-studied circumstellar disk. It orbits the star with a period of 3.56 days at 0.04 au, inside the inner rim of the disk. This demonstrates that planets can form within 10 Myr, before the disk has been dissipated by stellar winds and radiation.     

CO and H(3)(+) in the protoplanetary disk around the star HD141569

Massive planets have now been found orbiting about 80 stars. A long outstanding question critical to theories of planet formation has been the timescale on which gas-giant planets form; in particular, stars more massive than the Sun may blow away the surrounding gas associated with their formation more quickly than it can be accumulated by the protoplanetary cores. Evidence for a protoplanet around a Herbig AeBe star (such stars are 2 3 times more massive than the Sun) would constrain the timescale of planet formation. Here we report the detection of CO and H(3)(+) emission from the 5-10-million-year-old Herbig AeBe star HD141569. We interpret the CO data as indicating that the inner disk surrounding the star is past the early phase of accretion and planetesimal formation, and that most of the gas has been cleared out to a distance of more than 17 astronomical units. CO effectively destroys H(3)(+) (ref. 2), so their presence in the same source is surprising. Moreover, H(3)(+) line emission has previously been detected only from the atmospheres of the giant planets in the Solar System. The H(3)(+) and CO may therefore be distributed in the disk at different circumstellar distances, or, alternatively, H(3)(+) may be located in the extended envelope of a protoplanet.     

A giant planet orbiting the 'extreme horizontal branch' star V 391 Pegasi

After the initial discoveries fifteen years ago, over 200 extrasolar planets have now been detected. Most of them orbit main-sequence stars similar to our Sun, although a few planets orbiting red giant stars have been recently found. When the hydrogen in their cores runs out, main-sequence stars undergo an expansion into red-giant stars. This expansion can modify the orbits of planets and can easily reach and engulf the inner planets. The same will happen to the planets of our Solar System in about five billion years and the fate of the Earth is matter of debate. Here we report the discovery of a planetary-mass body (Msini = 3.2M(Jupiter)) orbiting the star V 391 Pegasi at a distance of about 1.7 astronomical units (au), with a period of 3.2 years. This star is on the extreme horizontal branch of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, burning helium in its core and pulsating. The maximum radius of the red-giant precursor of V 391 Pegasi may have reached 0.7 au, while the orbital distance of the planet during the stellar main-sequence phase is estimated to be about 1 au. This detection of a planet orbiting a post-red-giant star demonstrates that planets with orbital distances of less than 2 au can survive the red-giant expansion of their parent stars.     

An abundance of small exoplanets around stars with a wide range of metallicities

The abundance of heavy elements (metallicity) in the photospheres of stars similar to the Sun provides a 'fossil' record of the chemical composition of the initial protoplanetary disk. Metal-rich stars are much more likely to harbour gas giant planets, supporting the model that planets form by accumulation of dust and ice particles. Recent ground-based surveys suggest that this correlation is weakened for Neptunian-sized planets. However, how the relationship between size and metallicity extends into the regime of terrestrial-sized exoplanets is unknown. Here we report spectroscopic metallicities of the host stars of 226 small exoplanet candidates discovered by NASA's Kepler mission, including objects that are comparable in size to the terrestrial planets in the Solar System. We find that planets with radii less than four Earth radii form around host stars with a wide range of metallicities (but on average a metallicity close to that of the Sun), whereas large planets preferentially form around stars with higher metallicities. This observation suggests that terrestrial planets may be widespread in the disk of the Galaxy, with no special requirement of enhanced metallicity for their formation.     

Extreme collisions between planetesimals as the origin of warm dust around a Sun-like star

The slow but persistent collisions between asteroids in our Solar System generate a tenuous cloud of dust known as the zodiacal light (because of the light the dust reflects). In the young Solar System, such collisions were more common and the dust production rate should have been many times larger. Yet copious dust in the zodiacal region around stars much younger than the Sun has rarely been found. Dust is known to orbit around several hundred main-sequence stars, but this dust is cold and comes from a Kuiper-belt analogous region out beyond the orbit of Neptune. Despite many searches, only a few main-sequence stars reveal warm (> 120 K) dust analogous to zodiacal dust near the Earth. Signs of planet formation (in the form of collisions between bodies) in the regions of stars corresponding to the orbits of the terrestrial planets in our Solar System have therefore been elusive. Here we report an exceptionally large amount of warm, small, silicate dust particles around the solar-type star BD+20,307 (HIP 8920, SAO 75016). The composition and quantity of dust could be explained by recent frequent or huge collisions between asteroids or other 'planetesimals' whose orbits are being perturbed by a nearby planet.