61 Vir b
61 Vir b is a super-Earth orbiting the G5 V star 61 Vir in the constellation Virgo. It lies about 28 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2009 using the radial velocity method.
Is 61 Vir b in the Habitable Zone?
61 Vir b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of 61 Vir. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of 61 Vir: 0.681–1.613 AU (conservative: 0.862–1.529 AU), per Kopparapu et al. (2014). Earth orbits the Sun at 1 AU.
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Orbit and Year Length
A year on 61 Vir b — one full orbit around 61 Vir — lasts 4.22 Earth days, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year. It orbits at an average distance of 0.050 AU — closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.12).
How Was 61 Vir b Discovered?
61 Vir b was discovered in 2009 using the radial velocity method, with observations from Multiple Observatories.
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 61 Vir b?
61 Vir b is 27.7 light-years (8.5 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1999. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 487,520 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. 61 Vir b scores 0.25, ranking #3,026 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: 61 Vir
61 Vir
- Spectral type
- G5 V
- Surface temperature
- 5,577 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.94 M☉
- Radius
- 0.96 R☉
- Luminosity
- 0.8035 L☉
- Age
- 9.0 billion years (Sun: 4.6)
The 61 Vir Planetary System
61 Vir b is one of 3 known planets in the 61 Vir system. Its siblings:
61 Vir b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 5.10 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 4.22 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.050 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.120 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.25 |
| Distance from Earth | 27.7 light-years (8.5 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | Multiple Observatories |
| Discovery year | 2009 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2014-05-14. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About 61 Vir b
Is 61 Vir b habitable?
No — 61 Vir b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is 61 Vir b?
61 Vir b is about 28 light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 487,520 years to get there.
How long is a year on 61 Vir b?
One orbit around 61 Vir takes 4.2 Earth days — short enough that 87 of its years would fit into one Earth year.
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