astronomy

TrES-3b

TrES-3b 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 TrES-3b rather than just read about it. In short: TrES-3b is an extrasolar planet orbiting the star GSC 03089-00929. It has an orbital period of just 31 hours and nearly twice the mass of Jupiter.

Key takeaways

TrES-3b belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect TrES-3b to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of TrES-3b from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

TrES-3b is an extrasolar planet orbiting the star GSC 03089-00929. It has an orbital period of just 31 hours and nearly twice the mass of Jupiter. The planet TrES-3b is named Umbäässa. The name was selected in the NameExoWorlds campaign by Liechtenstein, during the 100th anniversary of the IAU. In the local dialect of southern Liechtenstein, Umbäässa is a small and barely visible ant.

Discovery It is the third transiting planet found by the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey. It was discovered in the constellation Hercules about 10 degrees west of Vega, the brightest star in the summer skies. Transits in front of the star GSC 03089-00929 were detected by two 10 cm telescopes operating out of Palomar and Lowell Observatories. Transits of TrES-3 were also independently observed by the Hungarian Automated Telescope Network. Seven high-precision radial velocity measurements were made using the HIRES spectrometer at W. M. Keck Observatory, which confirmed the presence of a planetary mass companion with a minimum mass twice that of the planet Jupiter.

Characteristics The planet's home star is slightly smaller and cooler than the Sun. The orbital period is less than one and a third days, one of the shortest known. Despite close proximity to the star, no evidence of tidal-driven orbital decay was present as in 2020, with best data fit indicating only an apsidal precession of planetary orbit.

See also Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey Hot Jupiter

References

External links Media related to TrES-3 at Wikimedia Commons

Massive Transiting Planet With 31-hour Year Found Around Distant Star Notes for planet TrES-3 TrES-3 light curve using differential photometry

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with TrES-3b

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what TrES-3b 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 TrES-3b 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 TrES-3b 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 TrES-3b

In research: TrES-3b 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 TrES-3b 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: TrES-3b is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Exoplanets discovered in 2007, Exoplanets with proper names, Giant planets, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for TrES-3b 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 TrES-3b in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what TrES-3b 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 TrES-3b out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is TrES-3b in simple terms?

TrES-3b is an extrasolar planet orbiting the star GSC 03089-00929. It has an orbital period of just 31 hours and nearly twice the mass of Jupiter.

Why does TrES-3b 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 TrES-3b?

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 TrES-3b.