Beta Pictoris Moving Group

Exoplanetary Scratchpad [SysBP Img]

Stars moving with Beta Pictoris.

Beta Pictoris Moving Group Web Pages

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Pictoris_moving_group

Members

• Beta Pictoris System - Young massive star with the first discovered circumstellar disk and the source of most interstellar meteorites in the Solar System. Comet crystals were found to be similar composition as those in Solar System. The first exo-comet was discovered in this system in 1983 and is the only star known with a detected comet known to also have a planet. Hundreds of comets detected by transit, of which on average of 6 transits occur in a 30 minute spetra, have been placed into two groups. One family (Population D for "deep" absorption lines) were older comets depleted of their volatiles and trapped in mean motion resonance with planet b or another undiscovered one. The other is fresher (Population S for "shallow"), emit more dust, follow similar orbits, and may have been formed after the breakup of a larger object. Contains the youngest known exo-planet, which shows that Jupiter-like planets can form much quicker than previously believed. It is the closest-in exoplanet photographed and is at 8 AU and 7-11 Jupiter Masses and orbits in 20 years. This planet was first hinted at by studying dust disks in 2003 and first photographed in 2003, but it was not confirmed and was lost. It was imaged again in 2008, and became the first imaged exoplanet confirmed to move around its star in 2010. It has an effective temperature of 1,100 to 1,700C, showing that it is still warm and has retained much of its heat from its formation. Evidence of a planetary transit in 1981 was found in record. It was originally thought that a second planet must have caused a tilt in one of the disks, but now it known that the first planet is. Models show that it could create waves and spirals in the disk. Some data suggests the planet is unusually wide, perhaps evidence of a ring system around it. The planet is traveling through a relatively dust-free gap in the debris disk, and thought to be clearing it. The planet is losing momentum as it travels through the debris disk. A large belt of carbon monoxide 50-160 AU concentrated at 85 AU has been observed, possibly caused by collision of comets. A Saturn sized planet interior to the belt that is not currently detectable due to being edge on in the disk could be shepherding it. It is possible that diamond-planets are forming in the disk. A cubesat could target this star in search of a second planet using the transit method since the system is edge-on. Principle member of the Beta Pictoris Moving Group.
• AU Microscopii System - AU Microscopii is also known as Gl 803, HD 197481, and CD-31°17815. It forms a triple star system with the double red dwarf star AT MiC, located 1.2 ly away, which are also known as Gl 799, HD 196982, and CD-31°16135. An active flare star and about 12 Million Years old. First red dwarf found with a circumstellar disk and the nearest planetforming disk. Also the first system where particle size in disk determined. Constraints on where planets could exist was recently published. Patterns in the dust disks suggest planets. It is thought that Pluto-sized planetoids may have formed in the outer system. AT MiC A and B are separated by 24.2 to 40.8 AU, and are somewhat smaller than AU MiC. All components are part of the Beta Pictoris Moving Group.
• Eta Telescopii System - Star in the Beta Pictoris Moving Group.
• 51 Eridani System - Star in the Beta Pictoris Moving Group. Contains an imaged protoplanet b.
• HD 203 System - Star in the Beta Pictoris Moving Group.
• HD 146624 System - Star in the Beta Pictoris Moving Group.
• HD 165189 System - Star in the Beta Pictoris Moving Group.
• HD 172555 System - A star in the Beta Pictoris moving group in which a collision between two small planets took place about a few thousand years ago. One planet is thought to be the size of Mercury, while the other the size of the Moon. Signatures of refrozen lava and vaporized rock were picked up by the Spitzer Space Telescope at about 5.8 AU.
• Beta Trianguli Australis System - Star in the Beta Pictoris Moving Group.
• Kappa Fornacis System - Star in the Beta Pictoris Moving Group.
• PSO J318.5-22 System - Free floating planet 80 light years away found in 2013. With an estimated mass of as low as 6 Jupiters, it is the first confirmed free floating planet which could not be a brown dwarf. Discovered by the Pan-STARRS wide field telescope in Hawaii. Probably a member of the Beta Pictoris Moving Group. Its mass, temperature, and color are much more similar to photographed planets found in star systems than other free floating objects, which are more like low mass L Brown Dwarves. Discovered during a Pan-STARRS 1 search for brown dwarves, in which it stood out as by far the reddest of the bunch. It is easier to study than imaged planets in star systems, since there is no glare from a star to interfere.