A closely packed system of low-mass, low-density planets transiting Kepler-11

Jack J. Lissauer (), Daniel C. Fabrycky (), Eric B. Ford, William J. Borucki, Francois Fressin, Geoffrey W. Marcy, Jerome A. Orosz, Jason F. Rowe, Guillermo Torres, William F. Welsh, Natalie M. Batalha, Stephen T. Bryson, Lars A. Buchhave, Douglas A. Caldwell, Joshua A. Carter, David Charbonneau, Jessie L. Christiansen, William D. Cochran, Jean-Michel Desert, Edward W. Dunham, Michael N. Fanelli, Jonathan J. Fortney, Thomas N. Gautier, John C. Geary, Ronald L. Gilliland, Michael R. Haas, Jennifer R. Hall, Matthew J. Holman, David G. Koch, David W. Latham, Eric Lopez, Sean McCauliff, Neil Miller, Robert C. Morehead, Elisa V. Quintana, Darin Ragozzine, Dimitar Sasselov, Donald R. Short and Jason H. Steffen
Additional contact information
Jack J. Lissauer: NASA Ames Research Center
Daniel C. Fabrycky: UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California
Eric B. Ford: University of Florida, 211 Bryant Space Science Center
William J. Borucki: NASA Ames Research Center
Francois Fressin: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
Geoffrey W. Marcy: UC Berkeley
Jerome A. Orosz: San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive
Jason F. Rowe: SETI Institute/NASA Ames Research Center
Guillermo Torres: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
William F. Welsh: San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive
Natalie M. Batalha: San Jose State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, California 95192, USA
Stephen T. Bryson: NASA Ames Research Center
Lars A. Buchhave: Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen University, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Douglas A. Caldwell: SETI Institute/NASA Ames Research Center
Joshua A. Carter: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
David Charbonneau: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
Jessie L. Christiansen: SETI Institute/NASA Ames Research Center
William D. Cochran: McDonald Observatory, The University of Texas at Austin
Jean-Michel Desert: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
Edward W. Dunham: Lowell Observatory, 1400 W. Mars Hill Road
Michael N. Fanelli: Bay Area Environmental Research Inst./NASA Ames Research Center
Jonathan J. Fortney: UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California
Thomas N. Gautier: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive
John C. Geary: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
Ronald L. Gilliland: Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive
Michael R. Haas: NASA Ames Research Center
Jennifer R. Hall: Orbital Sciences Corporation/NASA Ames Research Center
Matthew J. Holman: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
David G. Koch: NASA Ames Research Center
David W. Latham: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
Eric Lopez: UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California
Sean McCauliff: Orbital Sciences Corporation/NASA Ames Research Center
Neil Miller: UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California
Robert C. Morehead: University of Florida, 211 Bryant Space Science Center
Elisa V. Quintana: SETI Institute/NASA Ames Research Center
Darin Ragozzine: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
Dimitar Sasselov: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
Donald R. Short: San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive
Jason H. Steffen: Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics, MS 127, PO Box 500, Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA

Nature, 2011, vol. 470, issue 7332, 53-58

Abstract: Abstract When an extrasolar planet passes in front of (transits) its star, its radius can be measured from the decrease in starlight and its orbital period from the time between transits. Multiple planets transiting the same star reveal much more: period ratios determine stability and dynamics, mutual gravitational interactions reflect planet masses and orbital shapes, and the fraction of transiting planets observed as multiples has implications for the planarity of planetary systems. But few stars have more than one known transiting planet, and none has more than three. Here we report Kepler spacecraft observations of a single Sun-like star, which we call Kepler-11, that reveal six transiting planets, five with orbital periods between 10 and 47 days and a sixth planet with a longer period. The five inner planets are among the smallest for which mass and size have both been measured, and these measurements imply substantial envelopes of light gases. The degree of coplanarity and proximity of the planetary orbits imply energy dissipation near the end of planet formation.

Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1038/nature09760

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