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Subsequently, astronomers found that the tilt of the planet's orbit makes it pass in front of the star, as seen from Earth. In that way it is unique among all the extra-solar planets discovered to date (there are approximately 400 of them). As the planet passes in front of the star, it causes the star to dim very slightly for the duration of the transit. Transit observations by Hubble and ground-based telescopes confirmed that the planet is primarily gaseous, rather than liquid or solid, meaning that it is a gas giant, like Jupiter and Saturn.

Subsequently, astronomers found that the tilt of the planet's orbit makes it pass in front of the star, as seen from Earth. In that way it is unique among all the extra-solar planets discovered to date (there are approximately 400 of them). As the planet passes in front of the star, it causes the star to dim very slightly for the duration of the transit. Transit observations by Hubble and ground-based telescopes confirmed that the planet is primarily gaseous, rather than liquid or solid, meaning that it is a gas giant, like Jupiter and Saturn.

The planet is an ideal target for repeat observations because it transits the star every 3.5 days -- which is the extremely short time it takes the planet to go around the star at a distance of merely four million miles (6.4 million km) from the stellar surface. This close proximity heats the planet's atmosphere to approximately 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,100 degrees Celsius).

The planet is an ideal target for repeat observations because it transits the star every 3.5 days—which is the extremely short time it takes the planet to go around the star at a distance of merely four million miles (6.4 million km) from the stellar surface. This close proximity heats the planet's atmosphere to approximately 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,100 degrees Celsius).

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