J1407b

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/j1407b

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How heavy is J1407b?Less than 6 Jupiter masses (based on 2017 imaging)
2. What is the object type?Substellar object (likely a rogue planet or brown dwarf)
3. What is the circumplanetary disk radius?Approximately 90 million kilometers (56 million miles)
4. How big are the rings of J1407b?The rings stretch about 90 million kilometers across, which is many times larger than Saturn’s rings.
5. Why do scientists think moons might be forming around J1407b?The rings have gaps that look like they were carved by new moons pulling material from the disk.

Substellar Object: An astronomical body with a mass between that of a giant planet and the smallest possible mass for a star, incapable of sustained nuclear fusion.
Circumplanetary Disk: A torus-shaped collection of gas, dust, and other debris orbiting a planet, serving as the birthplace of moons and other satellites.
Rogue Planet: A celestial body that orbits a galactic center directly, not orbiting a star, and is not gravitationally bound to any star system.
Brown Dwarf: A celestial object more massive than a planet but less massive than a star, often referred to as a 'failed star' due to insufficient mass for hydrogen fusion.