BD+37 3172 b
BD+37 3172 b is a cold gas giant orbiting BD+37 3172 in the constellation Lyra. It lies about 1,482 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2023 using the radial velocity method.
Is BD+37 3172 b in the Habitable Zone?
BD+37 3172 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of BD+37 3172. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of BD+37 3172: 21.034–51.967 AU (conservative: 26.643–49.269 AU), per Kopparapu et al. (2014). Earth orbits the Sun at 1 AU.
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Orbit and Year Length
A year on BD+37 3172 b — one full orbit around BD+37 3172 — lasts 1,887.8 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 4.650 AU. Its orbit is highly elliptical (eccentricity 0.59), swinging dramatically closer to and farther from its star.
How Was BD+37 3172 b Discovered?
BD+37 3172 b was discovered in 2023 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+37 3172 b?
BD+37 3172 b is 1,481.6 light-years (454.3 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet about 1,482 years ago. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 26,076,160 years to make the journey.
The Host Star: BD+37 3172
BD+37 3172
- Surface temperature
- 4,500 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 3.75 M☉
- Radius
- 50.24 R☉
- Luminosity
- 691.8310 L☉
Planetary System
BD+37 3172 b is the only planet known to orbit BD+37 3172 so far.
BD+37 3172 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 3,368.98 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 1,887.76 days |
| Orbital distance | 4.650 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.590 |
| Distance from Earth | 1,481.6 light-years (454.3 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Lyra |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | McDonald Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2023 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2025-10-30. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About BD+37 3172 b
Is BD+37 3172 b habitable?
No — BD+37 3172 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is BD+37 3172 b?
BD+37 3172 b is about 1,482 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 26,076,160 years to get there.
How long is a year on BD+37 3172 b?
One orbit around BD+37 3172 takes 1,887.8 Earth days.
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