Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 9, 2026

WASP-63

WASP-63, also named Kosjenka, is a single star with an exoplanetary companion in the southern constellation of Columba. It is too faint to be visible with the naked eye, having an apparent visual magnitude of 11.1. The distance to this system is approximately 942 light-years based on parallax measurements, but it is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −24 km/s.

Last revised
Jul 9, 2026
Read time
≈ 3 min
Length
772 w
Citations
38
Source
WASP-63
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Columba1
Right ascension 06h 17m 20.7485s2
Declination −38° 19′ 23.754″2
Apparent magnitude (V) 11.10±0.083
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage subgiant23
Spectral type G84
B−V color index 0.741±0.0225
J−K color index 0.425±0.0325
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)−23.55±0.252 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: −17.469 mas/yr2
Dec.: −27.292 mas/yr2
Parallax (π)3.4609±0.0118 mas2
Distance942 ± 3 ly
(288.9 ± 1.0 pc)
Details
Mass1.10+0.06
−0.04
6 M
Radius1.76+0.11
−0.08
6 R
Luminosity2.762 L
Surface gravity (log g)4.01±0.037 cgs
Temperature5,715±607 K
Metallicity [Fe/H]0.08±0.07 dex6
0.28±0.057 dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)2.8±0.56 km/s
Age8.3+1.3
−1.2
6 Gyr
Other designations
Kosjenka, CD−38 2551, TOI-483, WASP-63, TYC 7612-556-1, GSC 07612-00556, 2MASS J06172074-38192378
Database references
SIMBADdata
Exoplanet Archivedata

WASP-63, also named Kosjenka, is a single star with an exoplanetary companion in the southern constellation of Columba. It is too faint to be visible with the naked eye, having an apparent visual magnitude of 11.1.3 The distance to this system is approximately 942 light-years (289 parsecs) based on parallax measurements, but it is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −24 km/s.

Nomenclature

The designation WASP-63 indicates that this was the 63rd star found to have a planet by the Wide Angle Search for Planets. It is also known as CD-38 2551 from the Durchmusterung catalog.8

In the 2019 NameExoWorlds campaign, this system was assigned to Malawi910 but did not get named at that time. It was then included among 20 systems to be named by the following NameExoWorlds campaign in August 2022.11 The approved names, proposed by a team from Croatia, were announced in June 2023. WASP-63 is named Kosjenka and its planet is named Regoč, after characters from Croatian Tales of Long Ago by Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić.12

Stellar properties

This is a G-type star with a stellar classification of G8;4 the luminosity class is currently unknown. The star is much older than the Sun at approximately 8.3+1.3
−1.2
billion years. WASP-63 is slightly enriched in heavy elements, having 120% of the solar abundance of iron.6 The stellar radius is enlarged for a G8 star,4 and models suggest it has evolved into a subgiant.2 It has 1.1 times the mass of the Sun and is spinning with a projected rotational velocity of 3 km/s.6

Planetary system

In 2012 a transiting gas giant planet WASP-63b was detected on a tight, circular orbit.4 Its equilibrium temperature is 1,536±37 K, and measured dayside temperature is 1,547±308 K.13 The planet is similar to Saturn in mass but is highly inflated due to proximity to the parent star. The planetary atmosphere contains water and likely has a high cloud deck of indeterminate composition.14

The WASP-63 planetary system6
Companion
(in order from star)
Mass Semimajor axis
(AU)
Orbital period
(days)
Eccentricity Inclination
(°)
Radius
b / Regoč 0.339±0.03 MJ 0.05417+0.00067
−0.00089
4.3780900±0.000006 0.026+0.040
−0.029
87.8±1.3 1.33±0.24 RJ
References

References

  1. Roman, Nancy G. (1987). "Identification of a constellation from a position". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 99 (617): 695. Bibcode:1987PASP...99..695R. doi:10.1086/132034. Constellation record for this object at VizieR.
  2. Vallenari, A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2023). "Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 674: A1. arXiv:2208.00211. Bibcode:2023A&A...674A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202243940. S2CID 244398875. Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  3. Santos, N. C.; et al. (August 2013), "SWEET-Cat: A catalogue of parameters for Stars With ExoplanETs. I. New atmospheric parameters and masses for 48 stars with planets", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 556: 11, arXiv:1307.0354, Bibcode:2013A&A...556A.150S, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201321286, S2CID 55237847, A150.
  4. Hellier, Coel; et al. (2012), "Seven transiting hot-Jupiters from WASP-South, Euler and TRAPPIST: WASP-47b, WASP-55b, WASP-61b, WASP-62b, WASP-63b, WASP-66b & WASP-67b", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 426 (1): 739–750, arXiv:1204.5095, Bibcode:2012MNRAS.426..739H, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21780.x, S2CID 54713354
  5. Brown, D. J. A. (2014), "Discrepancies between isochrone fitting and gyrochronology for exoplanet host stars?", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 442 (2): 1844–1862, arXiv:1406.4402, Bibcode:2014MNRAS.442.1844B, doi:10.1093/mnras/stu950, S2CID 56052792.
  6. Bonomo, A. S.; et al. (2017), "The GAPS Programme with HARPS-N at TNG", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 602: A107, arXiv:1704.00373, Bibcode:2017A&A...602A.107B, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201629882, S2CID 118923163
  7. Stassun, Keivan G.; Collins, Karen A.; Gaudi, B. Scott (2016), "Accurate Empirical Radii and Masses of Planets and Their Host Stars with Gaia Parallaxes", The Astronomical Journal, 153 (3): 136, arXiv:1609.04389, Bibcode:2017AJ....153..136S, doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa5df3, S2CID 119219062
  8. "CD-38 2551". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg.
  9. "Naming". WASP Planets. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  10. "Malawi". NameExoWorlds. IAU. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019.
  11. "List of ExoWorlds 2022". nameexoworlds.iau.org. IAU. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  12. "2022 Approved Names". NameExoWorlds. IAU. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  13. Garhart, Emily; et al. (2020), "Statistical Characterization of Hot Jupiter Atmospheres Using Spitzer's Secondary Eclipses", The Astronomical Journal, 159 (4): 137, arXiv:1901.07040, Bibcode:2020AJ....159..137G, doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ab6cff, S2CID 119209434
  14. Kilpatrick, Brian M.; et al. (2017), "Community Targets of JWST's Early Release Science Program: Evaluation of WASP-63b", The Astronomical Journal, 156 (3): 103, arXiv:1704.07421, Bibcode:2018AJ....156..103K, doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aacea7, S2CID 52831173