astronomy

HAT-P-8b

HAT-P-8b 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-8b rather than just read about it. In short: HAT-P-8b is an extrasolar planet located approximately 720 light years away in the constellation of Pegasus, orbiting the 10th magnitude star GSC 02757-01152. This planet was discovered by transit on December 5, 2008.

Key takeaways

HAT-P-8b 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-8b to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of HAT-P-8b from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

HAT-P-8b is an extrasolar planet located approximately 720 light years away in the constellation of Pegasus, orbiting the 10th magnitude star GSC 02757-01152. This planet was discovered by transit on December 5, 2008. Despite the designation as HAT-P-8b, it is the 11th planet discovered by the HATNet Project. The mass of the planet is 50% more than Jupiter while the radius is also 50% more than Jupiter. The mass of this planet is exact since the inclination of the orbit is known, typical for transiting planets. This is a so-called “hot Jupiter” because this Jupiter-like gas giant planet orbits in a really close torch orbit around the star, making this planet extremely hot (in the order of a thousand kelvins). The distance from the star is roughly 20 times smaller than that of Earth from the Sun, which places the planet roughly 8 times closer to its star than Mercury is from the Sun. The “year” on this planet lasts only 3 days, 1 hour, 49 minutes, and 54 seconds, compared with Earth's 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes, and 10 seconds in a sidereal year. The study in 2012, utilizing a Rossiter–McLaughlin effect, have determined the planetary orbit is mildly misaligned with the rotational axis of the star, misalignment equal to -17+9.2−11.5°.

References

External links Media related to HAT-P-8 b at Wikimedia Commons

"HAT-P-8b light curve using differential photometry". Exoplanets. "HAT-P-8 b". Exoplanets. Archived from the original on 2012-03-18. Retrieved 2009-01-01.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with HAT-P-8b

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what HAT-P-8b 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-8b 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-8b 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-8b

In research: HAT-P-8b 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-8b 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-8b is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Exoplanets discovered by HATNet, Exoplanets discovered in 2008, Giant planets, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for HAT-P-8b 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-8b in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what HAT-P-8b 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-8b out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is HAT-P-8b in simple terms?

Why does HAT-P-8b 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-8b?

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-8b.