astronomy

GJ 1132

GJ 1132 is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand GJ 1132 rather than just read about it. In short: GJ 1132 is a small red dwarf star 41.1 light-years (12.6 parsecs) away from Earth in the constellation Vela. In 2015, it was revealed to have a hot rocky Earth-sized planet orbiting it every 1.6 days.

Key takeaways

GJ 1132 belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect GJ 1132 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of GJ 1132 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

GJ 1132 is a small red dwarf star 41.1 light-years (12.6 parsecs) away from Earth in the constellation Vela. In 2015, it was revealed to have a hot rocky Earth-sized planet orbiting it every 1.6 days. In 2018, a second planet and a potential third were revealed.

Planetary system As of June 12, 2018, there are two confirmed exoplanets and one candidate exoplanet orbiting GJ 1132.

GJ 1132 b

GJ 1132 b is the innermost planet of the GJ 1132 system, as well as the smallest. It is very similar in size and mass to Earth, with a radius of 1.13 R🜨 and a mass of 1.66 M🜨. It is slightly denser than Earth with 30% more surface gravity, meaning it has a rocky composition. Despite its physical similarities to Earth, it is considered too hot to be habitable, getting 19 times more sunlight due to its 1.6 day orbital period. As of 2022, it remains unclear whether the planet has an atmosphere, with some studies finding evidence for an atmosphere, but others finding a flat, featureless spectrum that leaves the presence or absence of an atmosphere inconclusive.

GJ 1132 c GJ 1132 c was reported by Bonfils and colleagues using the HARPS spectrograph on the ESO 3.6 m Telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile in June 2018. No transits of the planet were found, but it has a minimum mass of about 2.6 M🜨 and gets 1.9 times the amount of sunlight as Earth with an equilibrium temperature of 300 K (27 °C; 80 °F). It orbits outside the inner limit of GJ 1132's habitable zone (which ends at 1.6 times the stellar flux of Earth), but because the exact characteristics of the planet's atmosphere are unknown, it has been mentioned that it could still be potentially habitable. However, with a lack of transits, determining its atmospheric characteristics will be extremely difficult.

GJ 1132 d An unconfirmed cold super-Earth candidate was also detected, with a minimum mass of about 8.4 M🜨 and a low equilibrium temperature of 111 K (−162 °C; −260 °F). It has been designated GJ 1132 (d) with parenthesis because it is not considered a confirmed planet. Despite the signal having a false alarm probability of less than 0.01%, comparable to GJ 1132 b and c, it is close to the period of the star's magnetic cycle.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with GJ 1132

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what GJ 1132 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to GJ 1132 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about GJ 1132 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of GJ 1132

In research: GJ 1132 appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses GJ 1132 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: GJ 1132 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Gliese and GJ objects, M-type main-sequence stars, Planetary systems with two confirmed planets, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for GJ 1132 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study GJ 1132 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what GJ 1132 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain GJ 1132 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is GJ 1132 in simple terms?

Why does GJ 1132 matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study GJ 1132?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on GJ 1132.