Mass
1.40 Msun
single adopted value
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Stellar HostProfile
PSR B1257+12
Unclassified star • 600 pc
Records
2
literature rows
Planets
3
system count
References
3
distinct source labels
Approximate color
from effective temperature
Canonical Summary
Adopted host values from one source row
Values come from the row with the most populated summary measurements. Missing values stay missing. Ranges and counts describe all source rows.
Stellar source: Konacki and Wolszczan 2003 • System source: Konacki and Wolszczan 2003
Age
3 Gyr
0.80 to 3
Distance
600 pc
single adopted value
Planets
3
Stable across source rows
System Layout
Known planets
3 planets linked to this host
PSR B1257+12 b
Pulsar Timing
◌
Discovery
1994
Period
25.26 days
Radius
—
Mass
0.02 M⊕
Eq. Temp
—
PSR B1257+12 c
Pulsar Timing
◌
Discovery
1992
Period
66.54 days
Radius
—
Mass
4.30 M⊕
Eq. Temp
—
PSR B1257+12 d
Pulsar Timing
◌
Discovery
1992
Period
98.21 days
Radius
—
Mass
3.90 M⊕
Eq. Temp
—
PSR B1257+12: A Pulsar With Three Planets
PSR B1257+12 is a pulsar, the small dense remnant of a massive star, located 1,960 light-years away. The star has an age of 3 billion years and a mass of 1.4 solar masses, larger than the Sun's. Three planets are known to orbit it.
PSR B1257+12 b, PSR B1257+12 c, and PSR B1257+12 d were all found by pulsar timing, which detects planets by measuring the clock-like radio pulses of a pulsar; tiny shifts in the pulse schedule reveal orbiting planets. PSR B1257+12 b was announced in 1994, while PSR B1257+12 c and PSR B1257+12 d were both announced in 1992.
PSR B1257+12 b has a mass of 0.02 Earth masses, smaller than Earth's, and an orbital period of 25.3 days, the shortest year among the listed planets. PSR B1257+12 c has a mass of 4.3 Earth masses, larger than Earth's, and an orbital period of 66.5 days, the second-shortest year among the listed planets. PSR B1257+12 d has a mass of 3.9 Earth masses, larger than Earth's, and an orbital period of 98.2 days, the longest year among the listed planets.
Provenance
Underlying measurements and references
Evidence Summary
Rows
2
Stellar refs
2
System refs
1
Distancestable
Massstable
Agedisputed
| ST TEFF | ST MASS | ST RAD | ST AGE | ST LUM | ST SPECTYPE | SY DIST | Stellar Ref | System Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1.40 | — | 3 | — | — | 600 | Konacki and Wolszczan 2003 | Konacki and Wolszczan 2003 |
| — | — | — | 0.80 | — | — | 600 | Wolszczan et al. 1992 | Konacki and Wolszczan 2003 |