Extra-solar planets

Hi,

I am browsing the extra-solar planet catalog at
http://www.obspm.fr/encycl/catalog.html and have some questions.

I am looking for good Earth-like extra-solar planets so I started with
orbital period (year) of about 300 - 400 days. HD92788 for example has a
340 day period. Looking at the other data, for this planet, it says Omega
(degrees) 286. What does this mean?
T_peri 126.36 Again, what is this telling me?

Where would this star be in our galaxy? How many light years from Earth and
in what direction?

I am just a beginner, so simple language please.

Thanks for your help.

Others will have to help you with the main part of your question, but I
thought I might make a suggestion regarding your search for "earth-like
planets", which sounds as though you are assuming that a planet orbiting
with the same period as the earth must be earth-like. Virtually all
extrasolar planets so far discovered have been at least Jupiter-sized and
most often super-Jupiters. I believe that all of these have been assumed to
be very un-earth-like gas giants.

RM

"Smith" wrote in message
news:ZL4hb.20566$Sg4.17142@edtnps84...
Hi,

I am browsing the extra-solar planet catalog at
http://www.obspm.fr/encycl/catalog.html and have some questions.

I am looking for good Earth-like extra-solar planets so I started with
orbital period (year) of about 300 - 400 days. HD92788 for example has a
340 day period. Looking at the other data, for this planet, it says Omega
(degrees) 286. What does this mean?
T_peri 126.36 Again, what is this telling me?

Where would this star be in our galaxy? How many light years from Earth
and
in what direction?

I am just a beginner, so simple language please.

Thanks for your help.

Others will have to help you with the main part of your question, but I
thought I might make a suggestion regarding your search for "earth-like
planets", which sounds as though you are assuming that a planet orbiting
with the same period as the earth must be earth-like. Virtually all
extrasolar planets so far discovered have been at least Jupiter-sized and
most often super-Jupiters. I believe that all of these have been assumed to
be very un-earth-like gas giants.

RM

"Smith" wrote in message
news:ZL4hb.20566$Sg4.17142@edtnps84...
Hi,

I am browsing the extra-solar planet catalog at
http://www.obspm.fr/encycl/catalog.html and have some questions.

I am looking for good Earth-like extra-solar planets so I started with
orbital period (year) of about 300 - 400 days. HD92788 for example has a
340 day period. Looking at the other data, for this planet, it says Omega
(degrees) 286. What does this mean?
T_peri 126.36 Again, what is this telling me?

Where would this star be in our galaxy? How many light years from Earth
and
in what direction?

I am just a beginner, so simple language please.

Thanks for your help.

Hi Smith

"Smith" wrote in message
news:ZL4hb.20566$Sg4.17142@edtnps84...
Hi,

I am browsing the extra-solar planet catalog at
http://www.obspm.fr/encycl/catalog.html and have some questions.

I am looking for good Earth-like extra-solar planets so I started with
orbital period (year) of about 300 - 400 days. HD92788 for example has a
340 day period. Looking at the other data, for this planet, it says Omega
(degrees) 286. What does this mean?
T_peri 126.36 Again, what is this telling me?

Where would this star be in our galaxy? How many light years from Earth
and
in what direction?

I am just a beginner, so simple language please.

Thanks for your help.

You can read some of the basics about Orbital Elements here ...
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/phys...lElements.html

Or Google "orbital elements" for more info.

Hi Smith

"Smith" wrote in message
news:ZL4hb.20566$Sg4.17142@edtnps84...
Hi,

I am browsing the extra-solar planet catalog at
http://www.obspm.fr/encycl/catalog.html and have some questions.

I am looking for good Earth-like extra-solar planets so I started with
orbital period (year) of about 300 - 400 days. HD92788 for example has a
340 day period. Looking at the other data, for this planet, it says Omega
(degrees) 286. What does this mean?
T_peri 126.36 Again, what is this telling me?

Where would this star be in our galaxy? How many light years from Earth
and
in what direction?

I am just a beginner, so simple language please.

Thanks for your help.

You can read some of the basics about Orbital Elements here ...
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/phys...lElements.html

Or Google "orbital elements" for more info.

Smith wrote:

I am browsing the extra-solar planet catalog at
http://www.obspm.fr/encycl/catalog.html and have some questions.

I am looking for good Earth-like extra-solar planets so I started with
orbital period (year) of about 300 - 400 days. HD92788 for example has a
340 day period. Looking at the other data, for this planet, it says Omega
(degrees) 286. What does this mean?
T_peri 126.36 Again, what is this telling me?

I'm not entirely certain, but I believe Omega refers to the position
of the periastron and T_peri a time at which the planet was there. In
other words the planet made its 'annual' closest approach to the star
on Julian Day 2450126.36, or 1996 February 12 at around 20:38 UT (if
I haven't miscalculated).

Where would this star be in our galaxy? How many light years from Earth and
in what direction?

Under "The star:" at the bottom of the HD 92788 page the distance is
given as 32.82 pc, which is about 107 light-years. The right
ascension and declination given there put it in the constellation
Sextans. Note that while the star seems very similar to our sun, the
planet is more likely to be Jupiter-like than 'terrestrial'; since it
was detected by its gravitational effect on the star it must be quite massive.

--
Odysseus

Smith wrote:

I am browsing the extra-solar planet catalog at
http://www.obspm.fr/encycl/catalog.html and have some questions.

I am looking for good Earth-like extra-solar planets so I started with
orbital period (year) of about 300 - 400 days. HD92788 for example has a
340 day period. Looking at the other data, for this planet, it says Omega
(degrees) 286. What does this mean?
T_peri 126.36 Again, what is this telling me?

I'm not entirely certain, but I believe Omega refers to the position
of the periastron and T_peri a time at which the planet was there. In
other words the planet made its 'annual' closest approach to the star
on Julian Day 2450126.36, or 1996 February 12 at around 20:38 UT (if
I haven't miscalculated).

Where would this star be in our galaxy? How many light years from Earth and
in what direction?

Under "The star:" at the bottom of the HD 92788 page the distance is
given as 32.82 pc, which is about 107 light-years. The right
ascension and declination given there put it in the constellation
Sextans. Note that while the star seems very similar to our sun, the
planet is more likely to be Jupiter-like than 'terrestrial'; since it
was detected by its gravitational effect on the star it must be quite massive.

--
Odysseus