Astronomers determine rotation rate of exoplanet for first time
Posted: Sat, May 3, 2014, 10:19 AM ET (1419 GMT)
Astronomers announced this week that they have measured for the fist time how fast an extrasolar planet is spinning. European astronomers measured the Doppler effect of light from the planet Beta Pictoris b, one of the first exoplanets to be directly imaged, to determine its rotational rate. They calculated that the planet, about 4 to 11 times as massive as Jupiter, completes one day in just eight hours. Astronomers note that the planet is still very young, with an age of just 20 million years, and its rotation rate may increase as it cools and shrinks.
Astronomers announced this week that they have measured for the fist time how fast an extrasolar planet is spinning. European astronomers measured the Doppler effect of light from the planet Beta Pictoris b, one of the first exoplanets to be directly imaged, to determine its rotational rate. They calculated that the planet, about 4 to 11 times as massive as Jupiter, completes one day in just eight hours. Astronomers note that the planet is still very young, with an age of just 20 million years, and its rotation rate may increase as it cools and shrinks.
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