HD 113996 b
HD 113996 b is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 113996 in the constellation Coma Berenices. It lies about 379 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2017 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 113996 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 113996 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 113996. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of HD 113996: 13.776–34.557 AU (conservative: 17.449–32.763 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 HD 113996 b — one full orbit around HD 113996 — lasts 610.2 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 1.600 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.28).
How Was HD 113996 b Discovered?
HD 113996 b was discovered in 2017 using the radial velocity method, with observations from Bohyunsan Optical Astronomical 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 HD 113996 b?
HD 113996 b is 379.4 light-years (116.3 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1647. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 6,677,440 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. HD 113996 b scores 0.08, ranking #4,686 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 113996
HD 113996 b belongs to a system of 2 stars; it orbits HD 113996.
HD 113996
- Surface temperature
- 4,181 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.49 M☉
- Radius
- 25.11 R☉
- Luminosity
- 290.9980 L☉
- Age
- 3.2 billion years (Sun: 4.6)
Planetary System
HD 113996 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 113996 so far.
HD 113996 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 2,002.33 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 610.20 days |
| Orbital distance | 1.600 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.280 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.08 |
| Distance from Earth | 379.4 light-years (116.3 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | Bohyunsan Optical Astronomical Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2017 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2017-11-28. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 113996 b
Is HD 113996 b habitable?
No — HD 113996 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is HD 113996 b?
HD 113996 b is about 379 light-years from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 6,677,440 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 113996 b?
One orbit around HD 113996 takes 610.2 Earth days.
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