41 Lyncis b (abbreviated 41 Lyn b), also designated HD 81688 b and named Arkas /ˈɑːrkəs/,[2] is an extrasolar planet approximately 280 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Ursa Major.
Discovery | |
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Discovered by | Sato et al.[1] |
Discovery site | Okayama Planet Search Program, Japan |
Discovery date | February 19, 2008 |
Detection method | radial velocity |
Orbital characteristics | |
Semi-major axis | 0.81 AU (121 million km) |
Eccentricity | 0 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 184.02 ± 0.18 d |
Time of periastron | 2,452,335.4 ± 1.1 |
A gas giant with a minimum mass 2.7 times that of Jupiter, it orbits the K-type star 41 Lyncis with an orbital period of 184 days (corresponding to a semi-major axis of 0.81 AU). It was discovered and announced by Bun'ei Sato on February 19, 2008.[1]
In July 2014, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) launched NameExoWorlds, a process for giving proper names to certain exoplanets and their host stars.[3] The process involved public nomination and voting for the new names.[4] In December 2015, the IAU announced the name Arkas for this planet.[5] The winning name was submitted by the Okayama Astro Club of Japan. Arkas was the son of Callisto (Ursa Major) in Greek mythology.[6]
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