astronomy

WASP-132

WASP-132 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-132 rather than just read about it. In short: WASP-132 is a star located about 403 light-years (124 parsecs) away in the constellation of Lupus. It is known to be orbited by two exoplanets and one more awaiting confirmation.

Key takeaways

WASP-132 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-132 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of WASP-132 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

WASP-132 is a star located about 403 light-years (124 parsecs) away in the constellation of Lupus. It is known to be orbited by two exoplanets and one more awaiting confirmation. With an apparent magnitude of 11.938, it is far too faint to be visible by the naked eye from Earth, but can be observed using a 60-mm aperture telescope as an orangish star.

Stellar characteristics WASP-132 is a K-type main-sequence star with a spectral type of K4V, corresponding to its effective temperature of 4,714 K (4,441 °C; 8,026 °F). It is about three-fourths as large as the Sun both in radius and mass, and radiates roughly a quarter of the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere. The star is metal-rich with a metallicity (Fe/H) of 0.18±0.12 dex. Its age estimate varies wildly between publications from 3.2±0.5 Gyr to 7.2+4.3−4.4 Gyr. The same goes for its rotational velocity, with presented values of 0.90±0.80 km/s and 3.3±0.6 km/s. In 2017, a hot Jupiter exoplanet (b) was discovered to orbit the star, followed by a hot super-Earth (c) in 2022 and a cold super-Jupiter (d) in 2024. This makes WASP-132 one of the only stars with planets both near a hot Jupiter and much farther out, alongside WASP-47.

Planetary system

WASP-132b In 2017, the discovery of WASP-132b was announced alongside that of six other hot Jupiters. It was found through the analysis of transit photometry data obtained between May 2006 and June 2012 by WASP-South at the South African Astronomical Observatory, and was subsequently confirmed by radial velocity observations by the Swiss 1.2-metre Leonhard Euler Telescope's CORALIE spectrograph (March 2014 – March 2016) and transit photometry observations at TRAPPIST (5 May 2014). The planet is relatively small for a hot Jupiter, having a mass less than half of Jupiter's and a radius 10% smaller. Due to the host star's dimness, it was the second least irradiated hot Jupiter discovered by WASP at the time of discovery, with an equilibrium temperature of 763±16 K (490 °C; 914 °F); only WASP-59b was colder at 670±35 K (397 °C; 746 °F).

WASP-132c From TESS observations conducted in 2019, a new transit signal was found to occur every 1.01153 days (24.277 h), which was confirmed to be caused by a planet with a radius 1.85 times that of Earth in 2022. Archived radial velocity data from CORALIE and subsequent observations with HARPS indicate that the mass of the planet is approximately 6.26+1.84−1.83 M🜨, corresponding to a bulk density of 5.47+1.96−1.71 g⋅cm−3, consistent with an Earth-like composition. The existence of this planet implies that the nearby WASP-132b is improbable to have formed via high-eccentricity migration, the way most hot-Jupiters form. This scenario involves a giant planet that formed beyond the ice line falling into an eccentric orbit due to gravitational perturbations, which takes the planet closer to the star. Over time, the orbit circularizes much closer in than the original orbit. This is deemed unlikely to have happened to WASP-132b, since the migration would leave other nearby planets scattered or even ejected from the system as the eccentric Jupiter sweeps the vicinity of its orbit clean with its gravitational influence.

WASP-132d In June 2024, an additional planet was reported to have been discovered in a 1,800-day (4.9-year) orbit with a semi-major axis of 2.71 AU, much farther out than the previous two planets and roughly where the main belt would be in the Solar System. This planet was discovered via doppler spectroscopy (aka the radial velocity method), through the analysis of CORALIE and HARPS radial velocity data, taking into account the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect caused by the other two planets. This planet has a minimum mass of 5.16 MJ, easily making it a super-Jupiter.

Possible distant companion In WASP-132d's discovery paper, also described is a linear trend in the CORALIE radial velocity curves, hinting at the existence of an object located even farther out. Should it exist, it would have a minimum mass of roughly 18.5 MJ, likely making it a brown dwarf or low-mass star, and orbit WASP-132 with a period of >18 years.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with WASP-132

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what WASP-132 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-132 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-132 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-132

In research: WASP-132 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-132 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-132 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics K-type main-sequence stars, Lupus (constellation), Planetary systems with three confirmed planets, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for WASP-132 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-132 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what WASP-132 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-132 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is WASP-132 in simple terms?

WASP-132 is a star located about 403 light-years (124 parsecs) away in the constellation of Lupus. It is known to be orbited by two exoplanets and one more awaiting confirmation.

Why does WASP-132 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-132?

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-132.