Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 6, 2026

WASP-8

WASP-8 is a binary star system 294 light-years away. The star system is much younger than the Sun at 300 million to 1.2 billion years age, and is heavily enriched in heavy elements, having nearly twice the concentration of iron compared to the Sun.

Last revised
Jul 6, 2026
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≈ 3 min
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Citations
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Source
WASP-8

Artist's impression of a star like WASP-8
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox ICRS
Constellation Sculptor1
A
Right ascension 23h 59m 36.07119s2
Declination −35° 01′ 52.9236″2
Apparent magnitude (V) 9.873
B
Right ascension 23h 59m 36.12827s4
Declination −35° 01′ 57.3448″4
Apparent magnitude (V) 9.873
Characteristics
WASP-8A
Evolutionary stage main sequence2
Spectral type G8V5
WASP-8B
Evolutionary stage main sequence6
Spectral type M7
Astrometry
A
Radial velocity (Rv)−1.38±0.262 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +109.752 mas/yr2
Dec.: +7.615 mas/yr2
Parallax (π)11.1052±0.0175 mas2
Distance293.7 ± 0.5 ly
(90.0 ± 0.1 pc)
B
Radial velocity (Rv)−1.38±0.264 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +110.322 mas/yr4
Dec.: +5.448 mas/yr4
Parallax (π)11.1038±0.0197 mas4
Distance293.7 ± 0.5 ly
(90.1 ± 0.2 pc)
Position (relative to WASP-8A)7
ComponentWASP-8B
Epoch of observation2016
Angular distance4.520±0.005
Position angle170.9±0.1°
Projected separation408 AU
Details8
WASP-8A
Mass1.093±0.024 M
Radius0.976±0.020 R
Luminosity0.79 L
Surface gravity (log g)4.498±0.018 cgs
Temperature5600±80 K
Metallicity [Fe/H]0.29±0.03 dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)1.90±0.056 km/s
Age0.3+0.9
−0.1
 Gyr
WASP-8B
Mass0.53±0.02 M
Temperature3758+47
−43
 K
Other designations
CD−35 16019, CPD−35 9465, SAO 214901, PPM 304426, WDS J23596-3502A, TOI-191, TIC 183532609, WASP-8, TYC 7522-505-1, 2MASS J23593607-35015303
Database references
SIMBADA
B
Exoplanet Archivedata

WASP-8 is a binary star system 294 light-years (90 parsecs) away. The star system is much younger than the Sun at 300 million to 1.2 billion years age, and is heavily enriched in heavy elements, having nearly twice the concentration of iron compared to the Sun.8

The primary, WASP-8A, is a magnitude 9.9 main-sequence yellow dwarf star. It is reported to be a G-type star with a temperature of 5600 K and has a mass 1.093±0.024, a radius 0.976±0.020 and a luminosity of 0.79 times that of the Sun. There is a companion star WASP-8B located 4.5 arcseconds away with the same proper motion, indicating a stellar binary system.9 The binarity was confirmed in 2020.7 The axis orientation of the primary star is uncertain, but it is close to pointing one of the poles to the Earth.6

Planetary system

The primary star is orbited by two known exoplanets, designated WASP-8b and WASP-8c. WASP-8b was discovered in 2010 by the astronomical transit method and was catalogued as part of the SuperWASP mission.9 WASP-8c was discovered in late 2013 with the radial velocity method.10

The WASP-8 planetary system810
Companion
(in order from star)
Mass Semimajor axis
(AU)
Orbital period
(days)
Eccentricity Inclination
(°)
Radius
b 2.216±0.035 MJ 0.0817±0.0006 8.158715(16)11 0.3057±0.004611 88.51±0.09 1.165±0.032 RJ
c ≥9.45+2.26
−1.04
 MJ
5.28+0.63
−0.34
4323+740
−380
0
See also

See also

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. "WASP-8". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  4. 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.
  5. Salz, M.; Schneider, P. C.; et al. (April 2015). "High-energy irradiation and mass loss rates of hot Jupiters in the solar neighborhood". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 576: A42. arXiv:1502.00576. Bibcode:2015A&A...576A..42S. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201425243.
  6. Bourrier, V.; Cegla, H. M.; et al. (March 2017). "Refined architecture of the WASP-8 system: A cautionary tale for traditional Rossiter-McLaughlin analysis". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 599. A33. arXiv:1611.07985. Bibcode:2017A&A...599A..33B. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201629973. S2CID 118864447.
  7. Bohn, A. J.; Southworth, J.; Ginski, C.; Kenworthy, M. A.; Maxted, P. F. L.; Evans, D. F. (2020), "A multiplicity study of transiting exoplanet host stars", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 635: A73, arXiv:2001.08224, Bibcode:2020A&A...635A..73B, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201937127, S2CID 210861118
  8. Southworth, J.; Bohn, A. J.; Kenworthy, M. A.; Ginski, C.; Mancini, L. (2020), "A multiplicity study of transiting exoplanet host stars", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 635: A74, arXiv:2001.08225, Bibcode:2020A&A...635A..74S, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201937334, S2CID 210860775
  9. Queloz, D.; et al. (2010). "WASP-8b: a retrograde transiting planet in a multiple system". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 517. L1. arXiv:1006.5089. Bibcode:2010A&A...517L...1Q. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201014768. S2CID 35774603.
  10. Knutson, Heather A.; Fulton, Benjamin J.; Montet, Benjamin T.; Kao, Melodie; Ngo, Henry; Howard, Andrew W.; Crepp, Justin R.; Hinkley, Sasha; Bakos, Gaspar Á.; Batygin, Konstantin; Johnson, John Asher; Morton, Timothy D.; Muirhead, Philip S. (2013), "Friends of Hot Jupiters. I. A Radial Velocity Search for Massive, Long-Period Companions to Close-In Gas Giant Planets", The Astrophysical Journal, 785 (2): 126, arXiv:1312.2954, Bibcode:2014ApJ...785..126K, doi:10.1088/0004-637X/785/2/126, S2CID 42687848
  11. Bonomo, A. S.; Desidera, S.; et al. (June 2017). "The GAPS Programme with HARPS-N at TNG. XIV. Investigating giant planet migration history via improved eccentricity and mass determination for 231 transiting planets". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 602: A107. arXiv:1704.00373. Bibcode:2017A&A...602A.107B. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201629882.
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