* Astronomy

Title: WASP-16b: A new Jupiter-like planet transiting a southern solar analogy
Authors: T. A. Lister, D. R. Anderson, M. Gillon, L. Hebb, B. S. Smalley, A. H. M. J. Triaud, A. Collier Cameron, D. M. Wilson, R. G. West, S. J. Bentley, D. J. Christian, R. Enoch, C. A. Haswell, C. Hellier, K. Horne, J. Irwin, Y. C. Joshi, S. R. Kane, M. Mayor, P. F. L. Maxted, A. J. Norton, N. Parley, F. Pepe, D. Pollacco, D. Queloz, R. Ryans, D. Segransan, I. Skillen, R. A. Street, I. Todd, S. Udry, P. J. Wheatley

We report the discovery from WASP-South of a new Jupiter-like extrasolar planet, WASP-16b, which transits its solar analogy host star every 3.12 days. Analysis of the transit photometry and radial velocity spectroscopic data leads to a planet with R_p = 1.008±0.071 R_Jup and M_p =0.855±0.059 M_Jup, orbiting a host star with R_* = 0.946±0.054 R_sun and M_* = 1.022±0.101 M_sun. Comparison of the high resolution stellar spectrum with synthetic spectra and stellar evolution models indicates the host star is a near-solar metallicity ([Fe/H]= 0.01±0.10) solar analogy (Teff = 5700±150 K, log g= 4.5±0.2) of intermediate age (Tau = 2.3+5.8-2.2 Gyr).

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