Definition
55 Cancri is a bright (V = 5.95), nearby (D = 12.3 pc) G8V star part of a resolved binary system with a mid M-dwarf companion located at a projected separation of 1062 AU. Five exoplanets orbiting 55 Cancri are currently known. The properties of the planets in the 55 Cancri system are very diverse, with masses ranging between 8 Earth masses and 3 Jupiter masses and orbital periods as short as 18 h and as long as 15 years. While all five planets have been discovered using the radial-velocity technique, the innermost one (55 Cancri e) has been found to transit its host star, providing additional insights into the nature of this extreme super-Earth.
History
The first exoplanet discovered in the system was 55 Cancri b (Butler et al. 1997), a Jupiter-mass companion on a 15-day orbit, which was published 2 years after the announcement of the first exoplanet...
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References and Further Reading
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Demory, BO. (2023). 55 Cancri. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-65093-6_5435
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