Kepler-16
Sign in to saveKepler-16 is an eclipsing binary star system in the constellation of Cygnus that was targeted by the Kepler spacecraft. Both stars are smaller than the Sun; the primary, Kepler-16A, is a K-type main-sequence star and the secondary, Kepler-16B, is an M-type red dwarf. They are separated by 0.23 AU, and complete an orbit around a common center of mass every 41 days. The system is host to one known extrasolar planet in circumbinary orbit: the Saturn-sized Kepler-16b.
Article
3 sectionsContents
- Eclipses
- Planetary system
- References
Kepler-16 is an eclipsing binary star system in the constellation of Cygnus that was targeted by the Kepler spacecraft. Both stars are smaller than the Sun; the primary, Kepler-16A, is a K-type main-sequence star and the secondary, Kepler-16B, is an M-type red dwarf. They are separated by 0.23 AU, and complete an orbit around a common center of mass every 41 days. The system is host to one known extrasolar planet in circumbinary orbit: the Saturn-sized Kepler-16b.
==Eclipses== thumb|left|Light curves for the Kepler-16 system, adapted from Doyle et al. (2011) The Kepler-16 system is almost edge-on to Earth and the two stars eclipse each other as they orbit. The larger and brighter primary star is partially eclipsed by the secondary for about six hours and the brightness drops by about 0.15 magnitudes. The secondary star is completely occulted by the primary star for about two hours, but the overall brightness only drops by about 0.02 magnitudes.