HD 13167 b
HD 13167 b is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 13167 in the constellation Fornax. It lies about 486 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2018 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 HD 13167 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 13167 b orbits within the optimistic habitable zone of HD 13167 — the broader region where liquid water might be possible under favorable atmospheric conditions.
Habitable zone of HD 13167: 1.739–4.109 AU (conservative: 2.202–3.896 AU), per Kopparapu et al. (2014). Earth orbits the Sun at 1 AU.
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Orbit and Year Length
A year on HD 13167 b — one full orbit around HD 13167 — lasts 2,613.0 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 4.100 AU. Its orbit is highly elliptical (eccentricity 0.56), swinging dramatically closer to and farther from its star.
How Was HD 13167 b Discovered?
HD 13167 b was discovered in 2018 using the radial velocity method, with observations from W. M. Keck 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 13167 b?
HD 13167 b is 485.8 light-years (148.9 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1541. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 8,550,080 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 13167 b scores 0.38, ranking #593 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 13167
HD 13167
- Surface temperature
- 5,671 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.35 M☉
- Radius
- 2.39 R☉
Planetary System
HD 13167 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 13167 so far.
HD 13167 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 1,052.02 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 2,613.00 days |
| Orbital distance | 4.100 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.563 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.38 |
| Distance from Earth | 485.8 light-years (148.9 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Fornax |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | W. M. Keck Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2018 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-12-03. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 13167 b
Is HD 13167 b habitable?
HD 13167 b orbits within the habitable zone of HD 13167, the region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. Whether it is actually habitable depends on its atmosphere and composition, which remain unknown.
How far away is HD 13167 b?
HD 13167 b is about 486 light-years from Earth in the constellation Fornax. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 8,550,080 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 13167 b?
One orbit around HD 13167 takes 2,613.0 Earth days.
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