HAT-P-11b facts for kids
HAT-P-11b is a fascinating extrasolar planet, which means it's a planet found outside our own Solar System. It's also known by another name, Kepler-3b. This planet orbits a star called HAT-P-11. Scientists discovered HAT-P-11b in 2009. The discovery was made by the HATNet Project team using a special way to find planets called the transit method.
What is HAT-P-11b?
HAT-P-11b is a type of planet known as a "hot Neptune." Imagine a planet like Neptune from our Solar System, but much, much hotter! This is because HAT-P-11b orbits very close to its star. It's a gas giant, meaning it's mostly made of gases, not solid rock.
Where is HAT-P-11b Located?
This interesting planet orbits its star, HAT-P-11, at a distance of about 0.0534 AU. An Astronomical unit (AU) is a way to measure distances in space. One AU is the average distance from the Earth to the Sun. So, 0.0534 AU means HAT-P-11b is much closer to its star than Earth is to our Sun. This distance is about 7,990,000 kilometers (almost 5 million miles).
How Was HAT-P-11b Discovered?
Scientists found HAT-P-11b using the transit method. This method works by watching a star very carefully. If a planet passes in front of its star from our point of view, it blocks a tiny bit of the star's light. This causes a small dip in the star's brightness. By regularly seeing these dips, scientists can figure out if a planet is orbiting the star. This is how the HATNet Project team found HAT-P-11b in 2009.
