Hot Jupiter facts for kids
Imagine planets that are huge, like Jupiter, but orbit super close to their stars! These are called Hot Jupiters. They are a type of exoplanet, which means they orbit stars other than our Sun. Hot Jupiters get their name because they are very hot and are gas giants, just like Jupiter in our own solar system. They zoom around their stars incredibly fast, completing an orbit in less than 10 Earth days! This close distance makes them super hot.
How Do We Find Hot Jupiters?
It's easier to find Hot Jupiters than many other exoplanets. Scientists often use a method called the radial-velocity method. This method looks for tiny wobbles in a star's movement. A planet's gravity can make its star wobble slightly. Because Hot Jupiters are so big and orbit so close, they make their stars wobble a lot, and very quickly. This makes them easier to spot than smaller or more distant planets.
A Famous Hot Jupiter: 51 Pegasi b
One of the most famous Hot Jupiters is called 51 Pegasi b. It was discovered in 1995. This was a very exciting discovery because it was the first exoplanet ever found orbiting a star like our Sun! 51 Pegasi b completes its orbit around its star in only about 4 Earth days.
Images for kids
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Artist's impression of HD 188753 b, a hot Jupiter
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Hot Jupiters (along left edge, including most of planets detected using the transit method, indicated with black dots) discovered up to 2 January 2014
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Hot Jupiter with hidden water
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Comparison of "hot Jupiter" exoplanets (artist concept). From top left to lower right: WASP-12b, WASP-6b, WASP-31b, WASP-39b, HD 189733b, HAT-P-12b, WASP-17b, WASP-19b, HAT-P-1b and HD 209458b.
See also
In Spanish: Júpiter caliente para niños
