astronomy

HAT-P-17

HAT-P-17 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 HAT-P-17 rather than just read about it. In short: HAT-P-17 is a K-type main-sequence star about 92.4 parsecs (301 ly) away. It has a mass of about 0.857 ± 0.039 M☉.

Key takeaways

HAT-P-17 belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect HAT-P-17 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of HAT-P-17 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

HAT-P-17 is a K-type main-sequence star about 92.4 parsecs (301 ly) away. It has a mass of about 0.857 ± 0.039 M☉. It is the host of two planets, HAT-P-17b and HAT-P-17c, both discovered in 2010. A search for a binary companion star using adaptive optics at the MMT Observatory was negative. A candidate companion was detected by a spectroscopic search of high-resolution K band infrared spectra taken at the Keck observatory.

Planetary system

In 2010, a multi-planet system consisting of a transiting hot Saturn in an eccentric orbit and a Jupiter-like planet in an outer orbit was detected. The transiting planet HAT-P-17b was detected by the HATNet Project using telescopes located in Hawaii, Arizona and at Wise Observatory in Israel. It was confirmed with radial velocity measurements taken at the Keck telescope which also led to the discovery of the second planet on a much wider orbit. In 2013, radial velocity measurements of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect showed that the sky-projected angle between the stellar spin axis and the orbit of planet b was approximately 19°. The measurement in 2022 have resulted in slightly larger misalignment of 26.3±6.7°.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with HAT-P-17

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what HAT-P-17 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 HAT-P-17 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 HAT-P-17 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 HAT-P-17

In research: HAT-P-17 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 HAT-P-17 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: HAT-P-17 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cygnus (constellation), K-type main-sequence stars, Planetary systems with two confirmed planets, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for HAT-P-17 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 HAT-P-17 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what HAT-P-17 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 HAT-P-17 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is HAT-P-17 in simple terms?

HAT-P-17 is a K-type main-sequence star about 92.4 parsecs (301 ly) away. It has a mass of about 0.857 ± 0.039 M☉.

Why does HAT-P-17 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 HAT-P-17?

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 HAT-P-17.