LHS 6343 is a multi-component stellar system located in the constellation Draco, approximately 110 parsecs (about 359 light-years) from Earth. The designation "LHS" refers to the Luyten Half-Second catalog, which lists stars with proper motions exceeding 0.5 arcseconds per year.
System Components
The LHS 6343 system is notable for its hierarchical structure, consisting of a primary M-type dwarf star, a brown dwarf companion, and a planetary-mass object.
- LHS 6343 A: This is the primary star of the system, classified as an M-type dwarf. M-dwarfs are small, cool, and red stars, making them the most common type of star in the Milky Way galaxy.
- LHS 6343 B: Orbiting LHS 6343 A is LHS 6343 B, which is a brown dwarf. Brown dwarfs are substellar objects that are larger than planets but too small to sustain the hydrogen fusion reactions necessary to become true stars. Their mass falls between that of giant gas planets and the lowest-mass stars.
- LHS 6343 C: The most intriguing component of the system is LHS 6343 C, a planetary-mass object that orbits the brown dwarf LHS 6343 B. This makes LHS 6343 C a circumbinary planet, orbiting the brown dwarf, which in turn orbits the primary star. The discovery of LHS 6343 C was made using the transit method by NASA's K2 mission (a re-purposed Kepler mission). Its detection provided an important case study for understanding planet formation around substellar objects.
Significance
The LHS 6343 system, particularly the configuration of LHS 6343 C orbiting a brown dwarf that is itself part of a wider stellar system, offers valuable insights into the diversity of exoplanetary systems and the conditions under which planets can form and persist, even around non-stellar companions. It contributes to the broader understanding of stellar and substellar object formation and evolution.