AB Aur b
AB Aur b is a cold gas giant orbiting AB Aur in the constellation Auriga. It lies about 529 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2022 using the imaging method.
Is AB Aur b in the Habitable Zone?
The position of AB Aur b relative to the habitable zone of AB Aur cannot be precisely determined from the available orbital data.
Orbit and Year Length
AB Aur b orbits at an average distance of 93.900 AU. Its orbit is highly elliptical (eccentricity 0.40), swinging dramatically closer to and farther from its star.
How Was AB Aur b Discovered?
AB Aur b was discovered in 2022 using the imaging method, with observations from Subaru Telescope.
Direct imaging captures actual pictures of a planet by blocking out the overwhelming glare of its host star. It works best for young, hot, massive planets on wide orbits.
How Far Away Is AB Aur b?
AB Aur b is 528.8 light-years (162.1 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1498. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 9,306,880 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. AB Aur b scores 0.08, ranking #4,690 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: AB Aur
AB Aur
- Surface temperature
- 9,770 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 2.40 M☉
- Luminosity
- 58.9997 L☉
- Age
- 0.0 billion years (Sun: 4.6)
Planetary System
AB Aur b is the only planet known to orbit AB Aur so far.
AB Aur b — Complete Data
| Mass | 2,860.46 Earth masses (9.000 Jupiter masses) |
|---|---|
| Orbital distance | 93.900 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.400 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.08 |
| Distance from Earth | 528.8 light-years (162.1 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Auriga |
| Discovery method | Imaging |
| Discovery facility | Subaru Telescope |
| Discovery year | 2022 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2022-04-12. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About AB Aur b
Is AB Aur b habitable?
AB Aur b is not known to orbit within the habitable zone of AB Aur, and as a cold gas giant it is an unlikely candidate for life as we know it.
How far away is AB Aur b?
AB Aur b is about 529 light-years from Earth in the constellation Auriga. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 9,306,880 years to get there.
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