BD+14 4559 b
BD+14 4559 b is a cold gas giant orbiting BD+14 4559 in the constellation Pegasus. It lies about 161 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2009 using the radial velocity method. It orbits within the habitable zone of its star — the region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface.
Is BD+14 4559 b in the Habitable Zone?
BD+14 4559 b orbits inside the conservative habitable zone of BD+14 4559 — the region where a rocky planet could sustain liquid water on its surface. This makes it one of the most interesting known exoplanets in the search for life.
Habitable zone of BD+14 4559: 0.480–1.168 AU (conservative: 0.608–1.107 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 BD+14 4559 b — one full orbit around BD+14 4559 — lasts 268.9 Earth days, between the years of Mercury (88 days) and Earth (365 days). It orbits at an average distance of 0.780 AU — comparable to the inner Solar System. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.29).
How Was BD+14 4559 b Discovered?
BD+14 4559 b was discovered in 2009 using the radial velocity method, with observations from McDonald Observatory.
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 BD+14 4559 b?
BD+14 4559 b is 161.0 light-years (49.4 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1865. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 2,833,600 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. BD+14 4559 b scores 0.38, ranking #549 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: BD+14 4559
BD+14 4559
- Surface temperature
- 4,864 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.49 M☉
- Radius
- 0.86 R☉
Planetary System
BD+14 4559 b is the only planet known to orbit BD+14 4559 so far.
BD+14 4559 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 330.54 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 268.94 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.780 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.290 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.38 |
| Distance from Earth | 161.0 light-years (49.4 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | McDonald Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2009 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-09-04. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About BD+14 4559 b
Is BD+14 4559 b habitable?
BD+14 4559 b orbits within the habitable zone of BD+14 4559, the region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. It sits in the conservative habitable zone — the most promising region for habitability. Whether it is actually habitable depends on its atmosphere and composition, which remain unknown.
How far away is BD+14 4559 b?
BD+14 4559 b is about 161 light-years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 2,833,600 years to get there.
How long is a year on BD+14 4559 b?
One orbit around BD+14 4559 takes 268.9 Earth days.
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