 ROXs 42B and its companion (small red object on the right) with VLT MUSE | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Currie et al.[1] |
| Discovery site | Keck Telescope, Very Large Telescope, Subaru Telescope |
| Discovery date | October 17, 2013 |
| Direct imaging | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 1968.3[2] | |
| Star | ROXs 42B |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean radius | 2.43±0.18 – 2.55±0.2[3] RJ |
| Mass | 9.0+6 −3[3] MJ |
| 3.8 ± 0.2[3] g | |
| Temperature | 1,800-2,600 K[3] |
ROXs 42Bb is a directly imaged planetary-mass companion[1] to the binary M star ROXs 42B,[4] a likely member of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex. The companion was announced/discovered on October 17, 2013, by University of Toronto astronomer Thayne Currie.
The object has an estimated mass around 9 Jupiter masses, depending on the age of the star,[1] similar to the masses of directly imaged planets around HR 8799 and beta Pictoris. However, it is unclear whether ROXs 42Bb formed like these planets via core accretion, by disk (gravitational) instability, or more like a binary star. Preliminary fits of the spectra and broadband photometry to atmospheric models imply a radius of 2.43 ± 0.18 RJ for an effective temperature of about 2,000 K or a radius of 2.55 ± 0.20 RJ for about 1950 K.[3] Like Beta Pictoris b, ROXs 42Bb's atmosphere is likely very cloudy and dusty.[3]
