Super-Jupiter
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A super-Jupiter is a gas giant exoplanet that is more massive than the planet Jupiter. For example, companions at the planet–brown dwarf borderline have been called super-Jupiters, such as around the star Kappa Andromedae.<ref name="kappa">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
By 2011 there were 180 known super-Jupiters, some hot, some cold.<ref name=kitchin>Template:Cite book</ref> Even though they are more massive than Jupiter, they remain about the same size as Jupiter up to 80 Jupiter masses.<ref name=kitchin/> This means that their surface gravity and density go up proportionally to their mass.<ref name=kitchin/> The increased mass compresses the planet due to gravity, thus keeping it from being larger.<ref name=kitchin/> In comparison, planets somewhat lighter than Jupiter can be larger, so-called "puffy planets" (gas giants with a large diameter but low density).<ref name=chang>Template:Cite news</ref> An example of this may be the exoplanet HAT-P-1b with about half the mass of Jupiter but about 1.38 times larger diameter.<ref name=chang/>
CoRoT-3b, with a mass around 22 Jupiter masses,<ref name="Deleuil08">Template:Cite journal</ref> is predicted to have an average density of 26.4 g/cm3, greater than osmium (22.6 g/cm3), the densest natural element under standard conditions. Extreme compression of matter inside it causes the high density, because it is likely composed mainly of hydrogen.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The surface gravity is also high, over 50 times that of Earth.<ref name="Deleuil08" />
In 2012, the super-Jupiter Kappa Andromedae b was imaged around the star Kappa Andromedae,<ref name=kappa/> orbiting it about 1.8 times the distance at which Neptune orbits the Sun.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
See alsoEdit
- Extrasolar planet
- Ice giant
- Kepler-1704b
- List of planet types
- Red dwarf
- Sub-brown dwarf
- Super-Earth
- Red Hypergiant