GJ 9066 c
GJ 9066 c is a cold gas giant orbiting the M5.0 V star GJ 9066 in the constellation Aries. It lies about 15 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2020 using the radial velocity method.
Is GJ 9066 c in the Habitable Zone?
GJ 9066 c orbits beyond the outer edge of the habitable zone of GJ 9066. At that distance, any surface water would almost certainly be frozen.
Habitable zone of GJ 9066: 0.041–0.109 AU (conservative: 0.052–0.104 AU), per Kopparapu et al. (2014). Earth orbits the Sun at 1 AU.
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Orbit and Year Length
A year on GJ 9066 c — one full orbit around GJ 9066 — lasts 771.4 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 0.880 AU — comparable to the inner Solar System. Its orbit is highly elliptical (eccentricity 0.46), swinging dramatically closer to and farther from its star.
How Was GJ 9066 c Discovered?
GJ 9066 c was discovered in 2020 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 GJ 9066 c?
GJ 9066 c is 14.6 light-years (4.5 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 2012. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 256,960 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 9066 c scores 0.09, ranking #4,489 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: GJ 9066
GJ 9066
- Spectral type
- M5.0 V
- Surface temperature
- 3,154 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.15 M☉
- Radius
- 0.16 R☉
- Luminosity
- 0.0025 L☉
Planetary System
GJ 9066 c is the only planet known to orbit GJ 9066 so far.
GJ 9066 c — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 66.74 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 771.36 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.880 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.460 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.09 |
| Distance from Earth | 14.6 light-years (4.5 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Aries |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | Multiple Observatories |
| Discovery year | 2020 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2022-05-03. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About GJ 9066 c
Is GJ 9066 c habitable?
No — GJ 9066 c orbits outside the habitable zone of GJ 9066 and is likely too cold for liquid water on its surface.
How far away is GJ 9066 c?
GJ 9066 c is about 15 light-years from Earth in the constellation Aries. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 256,960 years to get there.
How long is a year on GJ 9066 c?
One orbit around GJ 9066 takes 771.4 Earth days.
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