Rooting Out Planetary Imposters: Three “Exoplanets” Turn Out To Be Stars

scitechdaily.com ^ | MARCH 20, 2022 | ENNIFER CHU, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

[BenLurkin]

In a study published on March 15, 2022...MIT astronomers report that three, and potentially four, planets that were originally discovered by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope are in fact misclassified. Instead, these suspected planets are likely small stars.

The team used updated measurements of planet-hosting stars to double-check the size of the planets, and identified three that are simply too big to be planets. With new and better estimates of stellar properties, the researchers found that the three objects, which are known as Kepler-854b, Kepler-840b, and Kepler-699b, are now estimated to be between two and four times the size of Jupiter.

A fourth planet, Kepler-747b, is about 1.8 times Jupiter’s size, which is comparable to the very largest confirmed planets. But Kepler-747b is relatively far from its star, and the amount of light it receives is too small to sustain a planet of its size. Kepler-747b’s planetary status, the team concludes, is suspect but not entirely implausible.

Rooting out planetary imposters was not the team’s initial goal. Niraula originally intended to look for systems with signs of tidal distortion.

When combing through the Kepler catalog, he came upon a signal from Kepler-854b that appeared too large to be true.

The team then took a second look at both the star and the planetary candidate. As with all Kepler-detected planets, Kepler-854b was spotted through a transit detection — a periodic dip in starlight that signals a possible planet passing in front of its star. The depth of that dip represents the ratio between the size of the planet and that of its star. Astronomers can calculate the planet’s size based on what they know of the star’s size. But as Kepler-854b was discovered in 2016, its size was based on stellar estimates that were less precise than they are today.

[Bob434]

what is the penalty for impersonating planets these days?

[nickcarraway]

They came for Pluto, and I said nothing.

[Fungi]

The real calamity is Ph. D,’S Get paid for this witb no responsibility for their work, good bad or indifferent. No so in the provate sector. One mistake and you’re fired.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin.

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[SunkenCiv]

There is no such calamity here, so knock it off.

[SunkenCiv]

How many exoplanets are there?
To date, more than 4,000 exoplanets have been discovered and are considered “confirmed.” However, there are thousands of other “candidate” exoplanet detections that require further observations in order to say for sure whether or not the exoplanet is real.
https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/faq/6/how-many-exoplanets-are-there/

[ammodotcom]

Don’t know, but I’ll be damned if I’ll ever stop calling Pluto a planet.

[Nateman]

Strange things happen in the Cosmos. After a certain point some stars actually SHRINK in diameter when mass is added . Other stars blow up to little bits because the hydrogen added reaches a certain point where fusion can take place. That turns the entire surface into a thermonuclear bomb.

[RedMonqey]

But exoplanets claim to be planets and we must believe them.

Otherwise it would be transplantphobic.

[Telepathic Intruder]

The 'wobble method' is still the best way to look for exoplanets because it tells you the mass, not the size, of a planet. The 'transit method' only tells you its size which can be deceptive. Jupiter would be a star if it had 80 times its mass, but its size would not be much larger because it would also be denser.

And Pluto is not a planet. Never was.

[Equine1952]

Gosh, I never thought of it that way. So True!

[Equine1952]

I get that Pluto is a dang dog. EOS.

[jmacusa]

I think in most parts of our galaxy it’s a misdemeanor.

$250 dollar fine plus court costs and /or 30 days in the hoosecow.

[yesthatjallen]

Dark Matter. Everything in astrophysics can be explained by referring to dark matter, the universal fudge-factor.

[Larry Lucido]

Yeah? Well who do I see about these worthless time shares now?

[Bob434]

Lol- guess I gotta stop self identifying as an exoplanet

[aimhigh]

I’ve never trusted these numbers, or the process used to get them. It requires the planets and stars be PERFECTLY aligned with earth, so that we can detect the shadow.