Discovery date 19 February 2008 Discovery status Published | Discoverer(s) Sato et al. | |
Discovery site | ||
Xi Aquilae b (abbreviated ξ Aquilae b, ξ Aql b), also named Fortitudo, is an extrasolar planet approximately 200 light-years from the Sun in the constellation of Aquila. The planet was discovered orbiting the yellow giant star Xi Aquilae in 2008. The planet has a minimum mass of 2.8 Jupiter and a period of 137 days.
Following its discovery the planet was designated Xi Aquilae b. In July 2014 the International Astronomical Union launched a process for giving proper names to certain exoplanets and their host stars. The process involved public nomination and voting for the new names. In December 2015, the IAU announced the winning name was Fortitudo for this planet.
The winning name was submitted by Libertyer, a student club at Hosei University of Tokyo, Japan. 'Fortitudo' is Latin for 'fortitude'. 'Aquila' is Latin for 'eagle', an embodiment of fortitude - emotional and mental strength in the face of adversity.