astronomy

WASP-11b

WASP-11b 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-11b rather than just read about it. In short: WASP-11b/HAT-P-10b or WASP-11Ab/HAT-P-10Ab is an extrasolar planet discovered in 2008. The discovery was announced (under the designation WASP-11b) by press release by the SuperWASP project in April 2008 along with planets WASP-6b through to WASP-15b, however at this stage more data was needed to confirm the parameters of the planets and the coordinates were not given.

Key takeaways

WASP-11b 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-11b to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of WASP-11b from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

WASP-11b/HAT-P-10b or WASP-11Ab/HAT-P-10Ab is an extrasolar planet discovered in 2008. The discovery was announced (under the designation WASP-11b) by press release by the SuperWASP project in April 2008 along with planets WASP-6b through to WASP-15b, however at this stage more data was needed to confirm the parameters of the planets and the coordinates were not given. On 26 September 2008, the HATNet Project's paper describing the planet which they designated HAT-P-10b appeared on the arXiv preprint server. The SuperWASP team's paper appeared as a preprint on the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia on the same day, confirming that the two objects (WASP-11b and HAT-P-10b) were in fact the same, and the teams agreed to use the combined designation. The planet had the third lowest insolation of the known transiting planets at the time of the discovery (prior to this, Gliese 436 b and HD 17156 b were known to have lower insolation). The temperature implies it falls into the pL class of hot Jupiters: planets which lack significant quantities of titanium(II) oxide and vanadium(II) oxide in their atmospheres and do not have temperature inversions. An alternative classification system for hot Jupiters is based on the equilibrium temperature and the planet's Safronov number. In this scheme, for a given temperature, class I planets have high Safronov numbers and tend to be in orbit around cooler host stars, while class II planets have lower Safronov numbers. In the case of WASP-11b/HAT-P-10b, the equilibrium temperature is 1030 K and the Safronov number is 0.047±0.003, which means it is located close to the dividing line between the class I and class II planets. The planet is in a binary star system, the second star is WASP-11 B, with a mass 0.34 ± 0.05 of the Sun and a temperature of 3483 ± 43 K.

Notes

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with WASP-11b

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what WASP-11b 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-11b 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-11b 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-11b

In research: WASP-11b 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-11b 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-11b is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Aries (constellation), Exoplanets discovered by HATNet, Exoplanets discovered by WASP, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for WASP-11b 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-11b in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what WASP-11b 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-11b out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is WASP-11b in simple terms?

Why does WASP-11b 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-11b?

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-11b.