Gliese 876 c is an extrasolar planet orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 876, taking 30.48 days to complete an orbit. The planet was discovered in April 2001 and is the second planet in order of increasing distance from its star.
At the time of discovery, Gliese 876 was already known to host an extrasolar planet designated Gliese 876 b. In 2001, further analysis of the star's radial velocity revealed the existence of a second planet in the system,...
more
Gliese 876 c is an extrasolar planet orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 876, taking 30.48 days to complete an orbit. The planet was discovered in April 2001 and is the second planet in order of increasing distance from its star.
At the time of discovery, Gliese 876 was already known to host an extrasolar planet designated Gliese 876 b. In 2001, further analysis of the star's radial velocity revealed the existence of a second planet in the system, which was designated Gliese 876 c. The orbital period of Gliese 876 c was found to be exactly half that of the outer planet, which meant that the radial velocity signature of the second planet was initially interpreted as a higher eccentricity of the orbit of Gliese 876 b.
Gliese 876 c is in a 1:2 orbital resonance with the outer planet Gliese 876 b. This leads to strong gravitational interactions between the two planets, causing the orbital elements to change rapidly as the orbits precess. The orbit is more eccentric than any of the major...
less
