HATS-61 b: A Jupiter-Like World in a Distant Star System

HATS-61 is a star located 2220 light-years away, and it hosts one known planet. The star is estimated to be 8.9 billion years old, with a mass of 1.08 solar masses and a radius of 1.66 solar radii. Its temperature is 5540 K, which is cooler than the Sun's. The star's reported mass and radius estimates are both larger than the Sun's.

The planet HATS-61 b is a Jupiter-like world, meaning its radius exceeds four times Earth's. It was discovered by the transit method, in which a planet passes in front of its star from our viewpoint, causing a small dip in observed brightness. Repeated dips help establish orbital periods. HATS-61 b completes an orbit every 7.82 days. Its radius is 13.4 Earth radii, larger than Earth's radius, and its mass is 1080 Earth masses, larger than Earth's mass. That mass is roughly 3.4 times Jupiter's mass. The planet's mean density is 2.48 g/cm³, which is 0.45 times Earth's.