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55 Cancri (Copernicus): A Multi-planet System with a Hot Super-Earth and a Jupiter Analogue

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Handbook of Exoplanets

Abstract

The star 55 Cancri was one of the first known exoplanet hosts, and each of the planets in this system is remarkable. Planets b and c are in a near 1:3 resonance. Planet d has a 14.5 year orbit and is one of the longest known orbital periods for a gas giant planet. Planet e has a mass of 8M ⊕ and transits this bright star, providing a unique case for modeling of the interior structure and atmospheric composition of an exoplanet. Planet f resides in the habitable zone of the star. If the planets are approximately coplanar, then by virtue of having one transiting planet, this is a system where the Doppler technique has essentially measured the true mass of the planets, rather than just Msini. The unfolding history of planet discovery for this system provides a good example of the challenges and importance of understanding the star to understand the planets.

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Acknowledgements

Fischer acknowledges NASA grants NNX08AF42G and NNX15AF02G and thanks Yale University for research time that supported writing of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Debra A. Fischer

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  1. Debra A. Fischer
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Correspondence to Debra A. Fischer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias , La Laguna, Spain

    Hans J. Deeg

  2. Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, La Laguna, Spain

    Juan Antonio Belmonte

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Fischer, D. (2017). 55 Cancri (Copernicus): A Multi-planet System with a Hot Super-Earth and a Jupiter Analogue. In: Deeg, H., Belmonte, J. (eds) Handbook of Exoplanets . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30648-3_3-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30648-3_3-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-30648-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-30648-3

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