WASP-18 b
Description: WASP-18b is an exoplanet that is notable for having an orbital period of less than one day. It has a mass equal to 10 Jupiter masses, just below the boundary line between planets and brown dwarfs. Due to tidal deceleration, it is expected to spiral toward and eventually merge with its host star, WASP-18, in less than a million years. The planet is approximately 3.1 million km from its star, which is about 400 light-years from Earth. A team led by Coel Hellier, a professor of astrophysics at Keele University in England, discovered the exoplanet in 2009.
Physical Properties
Mass (Jupiter mass): 10.2 MJ
Radius (Jupiter radius): 1.24 RJ
Density: 6.6 g/cm³
Equilibrium Temperature: 2429.0 K
Orbital Parameters
Orbital Period: 0.94145223 days
Semi-major Axis: 0.02024 AU
Eccentricity: 0.0051
Inclination: 83.5°
Host Star Properties
Host Star: WASP-18
Spectral Type: F6 IV-V
Temperature: 6432.0 K
Stellar Mass: 1.29 M☉
Stellar Radius: 1.32 R☉
Discovery Information
Planet Letter: b
Object ID: 3.11447
Host ID: 2.5431
Discovery Date: 2009-08
Discovery Year: 2009
Discovery Method: Transit
Discovery Locale: Ground
Discovery Facility: SuperWASP
Discovery Instrument: iKon-L CCD Camera