NOIR Lab - The Strange Orbit of a Rare Exoplanet

At present there are over 5,600 confirmed exoplanets in just over 4,000 star systems. Within this population, about 300–500 exoplanets fall into the curious class known as hot Jupiters — large, Jupiter-like exoplanets that orbit very close to their star. How hot Jupiters form is an area of active research. Recently the WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak discovered an exoplanet with a strange orbit that gives clues to the formation of these unusual objects. In this podcast, Dr. Arvind Gupta discusses this rare and unusual planet.    Bios:  Rob Sparks is in the Communications, Education and Engagement group at NSF’s NOIRLab in Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Arvind Gupta is a postdoctoral fellow at NOIRLab in Tucson, Arizona. His primary research focus is on the design, execution, and analysis of exoplanet searches with extreme precision radial velocity spectrographs in pursuit of Earth analog discovery. H is also actively engaged in observational work to discover and characterize long-period giant exoplanets and studies of hot and warm Jupiter formation and demographics. Other general interests include stellar variability, information theory, and habitability, as well as astronomy accessibility and pedagogy.   Links: NOIRLab Press Release: https://noirlab.edu/public/news/noirlab2418/ Penn State: https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/exoplanet-caught-hairpin-turn-signals-how-high-mass-gas-giants-form/ Simons Foundation: https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2024/07/17/colossal-planet-in-rare-orbit-offers-clues-to-origins-of-hot-jupiters/ MIT: https://news.mit.edu/2024/astronomers-spot-highly-eccentric-planet-becoming-hot-jupiter-0717   NOIRLab social media channels can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/NOIRLabAstro https://twitter.com/NOIRLabAstro https://www.instagram.com/noirlabastro/ https://www.youtube.com/noirlabastro   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].