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HD 148164 c

Cold Gas Giant Hercules

HD 148164 c is a cold gas giant orbiting the F8 star HD 148164 in the constellation Hercules. It lies about 252 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2018 using the radial velocity method.

1,640×Earth mass
5,062 dOrbital period
0.13Earth similarity
252 lyDistance
2018Discovered

Is HD 148164 c in the Habitable Zone?

HD 148164 c orbits beyond the outer edge of the habitable zone of HD 148164. At that distance, any surface water would almost certainly be frozen.

HD 148164 c →
Too hot Optimistic habitable zone Conservative habitable zone Too cold

Habitable zone of HD 148164: 1.081–2.530 AU (conservative: 1.369–2.399 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 148164 c — one full orbit around HD 148164 — lasts 5,062.0 Earth days, longer than Jupiter's 12-year orbit. It orbits at an average distance of 6.150 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.13).

How Was HD 148164 c Discovered?

HD 148164 c 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 148164 c?

HD 148164 c is 251.8 light-years (77.2 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1775. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 4,431,680 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 148164 c scores 0.13, ranking #4,305 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.

The Host Star: HD 148164

HD 148164

Spectral type
F8
Surface temperature
6,032 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
Mass
1.21 M☉
Radius
1.34 R☉
Luminosity
2.1380 L☉
Age
2.4 billion years (Sun: 4.6)

The HD 148164 Planetary System

HD 148164 c is one of 2 known planets in the HD 148164 system. Its siblings:

HD 148164 c — Complete Data

Mass (best estimate)1,640.00 Earth masses
Orbital period5,062.00 days
Orbital distance6.150 AU
Eccentricity0.125
Earth Similarity Index0.13
Distance from Earth251.8 light-years (77.2 parsecs)
ConstellationHercules
Discovery methodRadial Velocity
Discovery facilityW. M. Keck Observatory
Discovery year2018

Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-09-25. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.

Frequently Asked Questions About HD 148164 c

Is HD 148164 c habitable?

No — HD 148164 c orbits outside the habitable zone of HD 148164 and is likely too cold for liquid water on its surface.

How far away is HD 148164 c?

HD 148164 c is about 252 light-years from Earth in the constellation Hercules. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 4,431,680 years to get there.

How long is a year on HD 148164 c?

One orbit around HD 148164 takes 5,062.0 Earth days.

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