January 2021 The Sharjah Astronomical Observatory at the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology (SAASST) of the University of Sharjah monitored and analyzed the exoplanet (HAT-P-9b) during the month of January. This as part of its periodic observations of the exoplanets that began in 2018. The results of these observations are published periodically on global websites specialized in this field of astronomical research. Researcher Mohammed Fadil Talafha, an astronomer who specializes in observing the exoplanets, added that the observed exoplanet is similar to Jupiter. It has a mass of 78% of the mass of Jupiter, but it is on the other hand larger, equivalent to 140% of the size of Jupiter, and this means that it is less dense. Due to its size being close to the size of Jupiter, it is included in the series of exoplanets called Hot Jupiters, as it is very close to its host star. Despite its large size compared to the planets of our solar system, which is characterized by the distance between its planets and from the Sun as well, this planet is very close to its sun – the distance between it and its star does not exceed 8 million kilometers. If we compare it to Earth, whose distance from the Sun reaches 150 million kilometers, then it is considered very close to the host star. The temperature of this type of exoplanets reaches one thousand kelvin, hence the name Hot Jupiters. This planet orbits its star very quickly, as it ends its year in less than four days.
