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HD 147513 b

Cold Gas Giant Habitable Zone Scorpius

The parameters of this planet are disputed or ambiguous in the scientific literature.

HD 147513 b is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 147513 in the constellation Scorpius. It lies about 42 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2003 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.

385×Earth mass
528 dOrbital period
0.36Earth similarity
42 lyDistance
2003Discovered

Is HD 147513 b in the Habitable Zone?

HD 147513 b orbits inside the conservative habitable zone of HD 147513 — the region where a rocky planet could sustain liquid water on its surface. This makes it one of the most interesting known exoplanets in the search for life.

HD 147513 b
Too hot Optimistic habitable zone Conservative habitable zone Too cold

Habitable zone of HD 147513: 0.737–1.732 AU (conservative: 0.934–1.642 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 147513 b — one full orbit around HD 147513 — lasts 528.4 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 1.320 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.26).

How Was HD 147513 b Discovered?

HD 147513 b was discovered in 2003 using the radial velocity method, with observations from La Silla 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 147513 b?

HD 147513 b is 42.1 light-years (12.9 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1984. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 740,960 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. HD 147513 b scores 0.36, ranking #692 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.

The Host Star: HD 147513

HD 147513 b belongs to a system of 2 stars; it orbits HD 147513.

HD 147513

Surface temperature
5,883 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
Mass
1.11 M☉
Luminosity
0.9772 L☉
Age
0.3 billion years (Sun: 4.6)

Planetary System

HD 147513 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 147513 so far.

HD 147513 b — Complete Data

Mass (best estimate)385.00 Earth masses
Orbital period528.40 days
Orbital distance1.320 AU
Eccentricity0.260
Earth Similarity Index0.36
Distance from Earth42.1 light-years (12.9 parsecs)
ConstellationScorpius
Discovery methodRadial Velocity
Discovery facilityLa Silla Observatory
Discovery year2003

Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2019-01-28. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.

Frequently Asked Questions About HD 147513 b

Is HD 147513 b habitable?

HD 147513 b orbits within the habitable zone of HD 147513, the region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. It sits in the conservative habitable zone — the most promising region for habitability. Whether it is actually habitable depends on its atmosphere and composition, which remain unknown.

How far away is HD 147513 b?

HD 147513 b is about 42 light-years from Earth in the constellation Scorpius. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 740,960 years to get there.

How long is a year on HD 147513 b?

One orbit around HD 147513 takes 528.4 Earth days.

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