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HD 126614

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HD 126614

HD 126614 is a trinary star system in the equatorial constellation of Virgo. The primary member, designated component A, is host to an exoplanetary companion. With an apparent visual magnitude of 8.81, it is too faint to be seen with the naked eye. The system is located at a distance of 239 light years from the Sun based on parallax measurements, but is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −33 km/s.

The primary is a late G-type star with a stellar classification of G8IV. It is a super metal-rich star; among the most metal-rich stars currently known. This is most likely an evolving subgiant star, but the very high metallicity makes comparisons to standard spectral types difficult.

In 2010, a close stellar companion was resolved and designated component C. This object is a faint red dwarf at an angular separation of 0.5, which corresponds to a projected physical separation of ~ 36 AU. More recent observations using radial velocity and astrometry have refined the parameters of HD 126614 C. It has an orbital period of about 60 years, with a smaller semi-major axis of 15 AU and a very low mass of 81.1 MJ. This mass is very near the mass limit allowed for hydrogen fusion.

The outer companion, designated LP 680-57, was first reported in 1960 with the W. J. Luyten proper motion catalog. It is a magnitude 17.0 red dwarf with a class of M5.5, located at an angular separation of 41.90″ from the primary along a position angle of 299°, as of 2015. They have a physical projected separation of 3,040 AU. The common proper motion of the system has been confirmed, indicating that they are gravitationally bound. Many multiple star catalogues still refer to this companion as component B, as it was known prior to the discovery of the closer companion.

A Doppler search for giant planets begun in 1997 at the Keck Observatory provided an 11 year baseline for detecting periodicity in the primary star's radial velocity data. In 2010, a Jovian companion was announced with an orbital period of 3.41 years. In 2022, the inclination and true mass of HD 126614 Ab were measured via astrometry.

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