astronomy

PSR J1719−1438 b

PSR J1719−1438 b 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 PSR J1719−1438 b rather than just read about it. In short: PSR J1719−1438 b is an extrasolar planet that was discovered on August 25, 2011, in orbit around PSR J1719−1438, a millisecond pulsar. The pulsar planet is most likely composed largely of crystalline carbon but with a density far greater than diamond.

Key takeaways

PSR J1719−1438 b belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect PSR J1719−1438 b to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of PSR J1719−1438 b from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

PSR J1719−1438 b is an extrasolar planet that was discovered on August 25, 2011, in orbit around PSR J1719−1438, a millisecond pulsar. The pulsar planet is most likely composed largely of crystalline carbon but with a density far greater than diamond. PSR J1719-1438 b orbits so closely to its host star that its orbit would fit inside the Sun. The existence of such carbon planets had been theoretically postulated.

Observational history PSR J1719−1438 was first observed in 2009 by a team headed by Matthew Bailes of Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. The orbiting planet was published in the journal Science on August 25, 2011. The planet was confirmed through pulsar timing, in which small modulations detected in the highly regular pulsar signature are measured and extrapolated. Observatories in Britain, Hawaii, and Australia were used to confirm these observations.

Host star

PSR J1719−1438 is a pulsar some 4,000 light-years (1,200 parsecs) away from Earth in the Serpens Cauda constellation, approximately one minute from the border with Ophiuchus. The pulsar completes more than 10,000 rotations a minute. It is approximately 12 miles (19 kilometers) across but with 1.4 solar masses.

Characteristics PSR J1719−1438 b was, at the time of its August 25, 2011, discovery, the densest planet ever discovered, at nearly 20 times the density of Jupiter (about 23 times the density of water). It is slightly more massive than Jupiter. It is thought to be composed of oxygen and carbon (as opposed to hydrogen and helium, the main components of gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn). The oxygen is most likely on the surface of the planet, with increasingly higher quantities of carbon deeper inside the planet. The intense pressure acting upon the planet suggests that the carbon is crystallized, much like diamond is. PSR J1719−1438 b orbits its host star with a period of 2.17 hours and at a distance of 0.89 solar radii (619,173 km or 384,736 mi).

Formation It is highly unlikely that this planet would have formed before its parent pulsar, as the resulting supernova would destroy any nearby planets. It has been proposed that PSR J1719−1438 b is not a planet but a remnant of a star. Specifically, PSR J1719−1438 b was a yellow dwarf star similar to the Sun in a binary with PSR J1719−1438, a higher-mass star. PSR J1719−1438 swelled up to become a red supergiant, but the yellow dwarf star survived the supernova. Billions of years later, PSR J1719−1438 b became a red giant and then a white dwarf. The gravity from the pulsar stole hydrogen and helium, and the remaining carbon crystallized, forming the diamond planet.

See also WASP-12b, a carbon planet BPM 37093, a carbon star EF Eridani, a star system with a compact star and a degraded substellar-mass former star PSR J2322−2650 b, another massive pulsar planet

References

Further reading Bailes, M.; Bates, S. D.; Bhalerao, V.; Bhat, N. D. R.; Burgay, M.; Burke-Spolaor, S.; d'Amico, N.; Johnston, S.; Keith, M. J.; et al. (2011). "Transformation of a Star into a Planet in a Millisecond Pulsar Binary" (PDF). Science. 333 (6050): 1717–20. arXiv:1108.5201. Bibcode:2011Sci...333.1717B. doi:10.1126/science.1208890. PMID 21868629. S2CID 206535504. "A Planet made of Diamond" (Press release). Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy. August 25, 2011. Archived from the original on September 14, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2011. Correa, Alfredo A.; Bonev, Stanimir A.; Galli, Giulia (2006). "Carbon under extreme conditions: Phase boundaries and electronic properties from first-principles theory". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 103 (5): 1204–8. Bibcode:2006PNAS..103.1204C. doi:10.1073/pnas.0510489103. PMC 1345714. PMID 16432191.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with PSR J1719−1438 b

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what PSR J1719−1438 b 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 PSR J1719−1438 b 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 PSR J1719−1438 b 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 PSR J1719−1438 b

In research: PSR J1719−1438 b 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 PSR J1719−1438 b 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: PSR J1719−1438 b is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Exoplanets detected by timing, Exoplanets discovered in 2011, Mega-Earths, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for PSR J1719−1438 b 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 PSR J1719−1438 b in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what PSR J1719−1438 b 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.
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Frequently asked questions

What is PSR J1719−1438 b in simple terms?

Why does PSR J1719−1438 b 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 PSR J1719−1438 b?

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 PSR J1719−1438 b.