HD 156668 b
HD 156668 b is a super-Earth orbiting HD 156668 in the constellation Hercules. It lies about 79 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2010 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 156668 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 156668 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 156668. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of HD 156668: 1.028–2.500 AU (conservative: 1.302–2.370 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 156668 b — one full orbit around HD 156668 — lasts 4.65 Earth days, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year. It orbits at an average distance of 0.050 AU — closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun.
How Was HD 156668 b Discovered?
HD 156668 b was discovered in 2010 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 156668 b?
HD 156668 b is 79.4 light-years (24.3 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1947. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 1,397,440 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 156668 b scores 0.26, ranking #2,790 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 156668
HD 156668
- Surface temperature
- 4,850 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.77 M☉
- Radius
- 0.72 R☉
- Luminosity
- 1.6982 L☉
- Age
- 8.6 billion years (Sun: 4.6)
The HD 156668 Planetary System
HD 156668 b is one of 2 known planets in the HD 156668 system. Its siblings:
- HD 156668 c (Neptune-like)
HD 156668 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 4.15 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 4.65 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.050 AU |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.26 |
| Distance from Earth | 79.4 light-years (24.3 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | W. M. Keck Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2010 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2019-01-28. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 156668 b
Is HD 156668 b habitable?
No — HD 156668 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is HD 156668 b?
HD 156668 b is about 79 light-years from Earth in the constellation Hercules. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 1,397,440 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 156668 b?
One orbit around HD 156668 takes 4.6 Earth days — short enough that 79 of its years would fit into one Earth year.
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