GJ 486 b
GJ 486 b is a super-Earth orbiting GJ 486 in the constellation Virgo. It lies about 26 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2021 using the radial velocity method.
How Big Is GJ 486 b?
GJ 486 b has a radius of 1.29 times that of Earth. Its mass is 2.8 times that of Earth, giving it a density of 6.66 g/cm³ — comparable to rocky planets like Earth (5.51 g/cm³).
Is GJ 486 b in the Habitable Zone?
GJ 486 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of GJ 486. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of GJ 486: 0.088–0.230 AU (conservative: 0.111–0.218 AU), per Kopparapu et al. (2014). Earth orbits the Sun at 1 AU.
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Temperature on GJ 486 b
The equilibrium temperature of GJ 486 b is about 696 K (423 °C) — hot enough to melt many metals. This estimate ignores any atmosphere, which could change surface temperatures dramatically — Earth's greenhouse effect adds about 33 °C. It receives 39.20 times the stellar energy that Earth gets from the Sun.
Orbit and Year Length
A year on GJ 486 b — one full orbit around GJ 486 — lasts just 35.2 hours, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year. It orbits at an average distance of 0.017 AU — closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun. Its orbit is nearly circular (eccentricity 0.001).
How Was GJ 486 b Discovered?
GJ 486 b was discovered in 2021 using the radial velocity method, with observations from Calar Alto 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 GJ 486 b?
GJ 486 b is 26.3 light-years (8.1 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 2000. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 462,880 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. GJ 486 b scores 0.32, ranking #1,010 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: GJ 486
GJ 486
- Surface temperature
- 3,317 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.31 M☉
- Radius
- 0.32 R☉
- Luminosity
- 0.0115 L☉
Planetary System
GJ 486 b is the only planet known to orbit GJ 486 so far.
GJ 486 b — Complete Data
| Radius | 1.289 Earth radii (0.115 Jupiter radii) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 2.77 Earth masses (0.009 Jupiter masses) |
| Density | 6.66 g/cm³ (Earth: 5.51) |
| Orbital period | 1.47 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.017 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.001 |
| Equilibrium temperature | 696 K (423 °C) |
| Stellar irradiation | 39.20× Earth |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.32 |
| Distance from Earth | 26.3 light-years (8.1 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | Calar Alto Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2021 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2025-04-16. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About GJ 486 b
Is GJ 486 b habitable?
No — GJ 486 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is GJ 486 b?
GJ 486 b is about 26 light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 462,880 years to get there.
How big is GJ 486 b compared to Earth?
GJ 486 b has 1.29 times the radius of Earth and about 2.8 times its mass.
How long is a year on GJ 486 b?
One orbit around GJ 486 takes 1.5 Earth days — short enough that 249 of its years would fit into one Earth year.
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