HD 52265: Pulsating Star Sheds Light On Exoplanet
Researchers have devised a way to measure the internal properties of stars, a method that offers more accurate assessments of their orbiting planets. The astronomers examined HD 52265, a star nearly 20 percent more massive than our Sun that is approximately 92 light years away. More than a decade ago, scientists identified an exopanet in the star's orbit. HD 52265 became an ideal model for both measuring stars' properties and how such properties can shed light on planetary systems. Previously, scientists inferred stars' properties, such as radius, mass, and age, by considering observations of their brightness and color. Often these stars' properties were not known to sufficient accuracy to further characterize the nearby planets. read more