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HD 14787 b

Cold Gas Giant Aries

HD 14787 b is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 14787 in the constellation Aries. It lies about 389 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2018 using the radial velocity method.

356×Earth mass
677 dOrbital period
0.24Earth similarity
389 lyDistance
2018Discovered

Is HD 14787 b in the Habitable Zone?

HD 14787 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 14787. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.

HD 14787 b
Too hot Optimistic habitable zone Conservative habitable zone Too cold

Habitable zone of HD 14787: 2.883–6.985 AU (conservative: 3.651–6.622 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 14787 b — one full orbit around HD 14787 — lasts 676.6 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 1.700 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.16).

How Was HD 14787 b Discovered?

HD 14787 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 14787 b?

HD 14787 b is 388.6 light-years (119.1 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1638. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 6,839,360 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 14787 b scores 0.24, ranking #3,325 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.

The Host Star: HD 14787

HD 14787

Surface temperature
4,946 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
Mass
1.43 M☉
Radius
5.01 R☉

Planetary System

HD 14787 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 14787 so far.

HD 14787 b — Complete Data

Mass (best estimate)356.29 Earth masses
Orbital period676.60 days
Orbital distance1.700 AU
Eccentricity0.155
Earth Similarity Index0.24
Distance from Earth388.6 light-years (119.1 parsecs)
ConstellationAries
Discovery methodRadial Velocity
Discovery facilityW. M. Keck Observatory
Discovery year2018

Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-12-03. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.

Frequently Asked Questions About HD 14787 b

Is HD 14787 b habitable?

No — HD 14787 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.

How far away is HD 14787 b?

HD 14787 b is about 389 light-years from Earth in the constellation Aries. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 6,839,360 years to get there.

How long is a year on HD 14787 b?

One orbit around HD 14787 takes 676.6 Earth days.

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