HR 8799 e
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HR 8799 e is a large exoplanet, orbiting the star HR 8799, which lies 128 lightyears from Earth. This gas giant is between 5 and 10 times the mass of Jupiter[1], the largest planet in our solar system. All four discovered planets in the HR 8799 system are large, compared to all gas giants in the Solar System.
Description
HR 8799 e is the fourth planet orbiting HR 8799 in order of discovery. It is a massive gas giant, and is fairly close to its star, lying just between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus in our solar system.[1]
HR 8799 e is the innermost known planet as it orbits closer to its star than the other three known planets in this planetary system. This planet orbits at an estimated distance of 14.5 AU based on the relationship between angular separation measured by direct imaging observations and the star's distance from Earth. The estimated period of this planet if the orbit is face-on is about 50 years.[1]
Discovery
The National Research Council's Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics discovered the planet on November 1, 2010 while taking a closer look at the HR 8799 system and published their findings three weeks later. Observations were performed at the W.M. Keck Observatory during the 2009 and 2010 seasons in the K and L spectral bands.[1]