WASP-13

WASP-13 is a star in the Lynx constellation. The star is similar, in terms of metallicity and mass, to the Sun, although it is hotter and most likely older. The star was first observed in 1997, according to the SIMBAD database, and was targeted by SuperWASP after the star was observed by one of the SuperWASP telescopes beginning in 2006. Follow-up observations on the star led to the discovery of planet WASP-13b in 2008; the discovery paper was published in 2009.

According to SIMBAD, WASP-13 was first observed in 1997, when it was catalogued by astronomers measuring the proper motion of stars in regions of the sky where galaxies are detected. Between November 27, 2006, and April 1, 2007, the SuperWASP-North telescope in the Canary Islands observed WASP-13; analysis of the data suggested that a planet could be in the orbit of the star.

Follow-up observations were conducted by a team of British, Spanish, French, Swiss and American astronomers using the photometer on the James Gregory Telescope in Scotland; using visual comparisons to the nearby bright star HD 80408, the star's light curve was better defined. In combination with measurements of WASP-13's spectrum measured using the SOPHIE échelle spectrograph at the Haute-Provence Observatory in France, the star's radial velocity was also discovered. The Fibre-Fed Echelle Spectrograph on the Nordic Optical Telescope gathered additional measurements of WASP-13's spectrum, allowing astronomers to determine WASP-13's characteristics. Use of SOPHIE's data led to the discovery of the planet WASP-13b in 2008; the planet was reported in 2009.

Based on SIMBAD's archive, WASP-13 was included in ten more papers between its discovery and 2010.