11 UMi b
11 UMi b is a exoplanet orbiting 11 UMi in the constellation Ursa Minor. It lies about 409 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2009 using the radial velocity method.
Is 11 UMi b in the Habitable Zone?
11 UMi b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of 11 UMi. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of 11 UMi: 12.779–32.006 AU (conservative: 16.186–30.345 AU), per Kopparapu et al. (2014). Earth orbits the Sun at 1 AU.
See the full interactive habitable-zone view in the Exoplanet Explorer app ›
Orbit and Year Length
A year on 11 UMi b — one full orbit around 11 UMi — lasts 516.2 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 1.530 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.08).
How Was 11 UMi b Discovered?
11 UMi b was discovered in 2009 using the radial velocity method, with observations from Thueringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg.
The radial velocity method measures the subtle wobble of a star caused by the gravitational pull of an orbiting planet, visible as periodic shifts in the star's light spectrum. The size of the wobble reveals the planet's minimum mass.
How Far Away Is 11 UMi b?
11 UMi b is 408.7 light-years (125.3 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1618. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 7,193,120 years to make the journey.
Earth Similarity Index
The Earth Similarity Index (ESI) scores how physically similar a planet is to Earth, from 0 to 1, based on radius, density, escape velocity and surface temperature. 11 UMi b scores 0.08, ranking #4,639 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: 11 UMi
11 UMi
- Surface temperature
- 4,213 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 2.78 M☉
- Radius
- 29.79 R☉
Planetary System
11 UMi b is the only planet known to orbit 11 UMi so far.
11 UMi b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 4,684.81 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 516.22 days |
| Orbital distance | 1.530 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.080 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.08 |
| Distance from Earth | 408.7 light-years (125.3 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | Thueringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg |
| Discovery year | 2009 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-09-04. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About 11 UMi b
Is 11 UMi b habitable?
No — 11 UMi b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is 11 UMi b?
11 UMi b is about 409 light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Minor. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 7,193,120 years to get there.
How long is a year on 11 UMi b?
One orbit around 11 UMi takes 516.2 Earth days.
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