TrES-4b

TrES-4  is an exoplanet. It orbits around the star GSC 02620-00648. The planet is 4.5 million miles from its sun. Being this close to its sun, the year on TrES-4 about three days long. This makes the temperature on the planet very hot. In fact, the temperature on TrES-4 is about 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit (1,260 degrees Celsius).

TrES-4 is a gas giant that is 70 percent bigger than Jupiter. However, the planet is only as dense as cork. At the time of its discovery, TrES-4b was the largest known planet in the universe.

Discovery
The planet was found by Georgi Mandushev at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona. Mandushev discovered the planet as a part of the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey project.

TrES-4 was discovered using the transit method. When an exoplanet passes between its sun and the Earth, astronomers can see a change in light from the star.

References

Category:Exoplanets
Category:Gas giants