astronomy

WASP-107b

WASP-107b 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 WASP-107b rather than just read about it. In short: WASP-107b is a super-Neptune exoplanet that orbits the K-type star WASP-107 which is located around 200 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Virgo. Its discovery was announced in 2017 by a team led by D.

Key takeaways

WASP-107b belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect WASP-107b to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of WASP-107b from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

WASP-107b is a super-Neptune exoplanet that orbits the K-type star WASP-107 which is located around 200 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Virgo. Its discovery was announced in 2017 by a team led by D. R. Anderson via the WASP-South.

Planetary orbit It orbits around WASP-107 at a distance of around 0.05 AU with a eccentricity of 0.09 taking around 5.7 days to complete an orbit around the star. This makes it is about eight times nearer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun. It is in a retrograde orbit, strongly misaligned with the equatorial plane of the parent star. The misalignment angle is equal to 118°+38−19. WASP-107c follows a highly eccentric and inclined orbit with a period of 1088+15−16 days. WASP-107b could not have formed in its current orbit. It likely migrated inward from its birth orbit beyond 1 AU due to interaction with the heavier planet WASP-107c.

Physical characteristics WASP-107b is a super-Neptunian ice giant exoplanet that is roughly the size of Jupiter but less than one-tenth of Jupiter's mass, making it one of known lowest density-exoplanets. This is unusual provided that the mean temperature of its upper atmosphere is only 500 °C (932 °F), much lower than that of similarly inflated exoplanets. Its highly extended and low density atmosphere coupled with transiting a moderately bright orange dwarf star makes it an attractive target for atmospheric characterization via transmission spectroscopy.

Atmosphere Helium was discovered in the planet's atmosphere in 2018, making it the first time helium was discovered on an exoplanet. A follow-up observation with Keck in 2020 showed that the helium absorption extends beyond transit-egress. Extreme ultraviolet radiation from the host star is gradually whittling down the planet's atmosphere, forming a comet-like tail 7 times as long as the radius of the planet. In November 2023, scientists discovered that its atmosphere contains water (H2O) vapour and sulfur dioxide (SO2). The clouds on this planet are made up of silicates. The data, along with the unexpectedly low abundance of methane (CH4), suggests a hotter interior and a more massive core than previously estimated. Tidal heating, caused by the planet's slightly elliptical orbit, is believed to be the source of the extra internal heat. In September 2024 it was revealed that there is an east-west asymmetry in the atmospheric properties (e.g, climate, cloud structure) of WASP-107b, which previously had not been expected for planet of its type.

See also Lists of exoplanets List of largest exoplanets List of nearest exoplanets

References

External links

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with WASP-107b

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what WASP-107b 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 WASP-107b 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 WASP-107b 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 WASP-107b

In research: WASP-107b 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 WASP-107b 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: WASP-107b is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Exoplanets discovered by WASP, Exoplanets discovered in 2017, Gas giants, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for WASP-107b 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 WASP-107b in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what WASP-107b 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 WASP-107b out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is WASP-107b in simple terms?

Why does WASP-107b 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 WASP-107b?

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 WASP-107b.