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Nyamien

WASP-15, TOI-820

Proper NameNyamien
Bayer DesignationNone
Flamsteed NumberNone
HR (BSC)None
HDNone
Other DesignationsWASP-15, TOI-820
ConstellationCentaurus
Right Ascension13h 55m 43s
Declination-32° 9' 35"
Distance935 light years
287 parsecs
MagnitudeApparent: +10.91
Absolute: +3.62
Spectral ClassF7V bright yellow dwarf
Planets in this systemAsye (Nyamien b, WASP-15 b), gas giant
Optimum VisibilityMay
NotesNyamnien lies in northern Centaurus, near that constellation's border with Hydra. It is notable for possessing a single low-density planet, a gas giant named Asye, which orbits the star so closely that its atmosphere has expanded to a diameter considerably greater than that of Jupiter.

A bright yellow F-type main sequence star that lies more than nine hundred light years from the Sun. As seen from Earth, it falls within the northern parts of Centaurus, just 34 arcminutes from the fifth-magnitude star h Centauri in the sky. With a visual magnitude of +10.98, Nyamien itself is far too faint to be seen with the naked eye.

Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

Nyamien is a dwarf star, but is somewhat larger and hotter than the Sun, and thus shines with a brighter yellow light (placing it in the F-type spectral classification, rather than the Sun's G-type yellow class). The star has one known planet in its system, a strange gas giant in a very close orbit.

This planet, named Asye, orbits Nyamien at a distance of just 0.05 AU (approximately 7.5 million kilometres, or about an eighth of the distance of Mercury from the Sun). Asye is a curious planet, much larger than Jupiter, but also considerably less dense. It thus belongs to the class of 'puffy' gas giants sometimes described as 'hot Saturns', existing in conditions of such intense heat that their atmospheres have inflated and expanded around the planet.

Nyamien and its planet Asye gained their names a part of the NameExoWorlds project, as part of which their names were assigned by the country of Côte d'Ivoire. The star and its planet take their names from deities of the Akan tradition of West Africa.

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