Skip to main content

HD 1605 c

Cold Gas Giant Habitable Zone Andromeda

HD 1605 c is a cold gas giant orbiting the K1 IV star HD 1605 in the constellation Andromeda. It lies about 290 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2015 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.

1,151×Earth mass
2,149 dOrbital period
0.35Earth similarity
290 lyDistance
2015Discovered

Is HD 1605 c in the Habitable Zone?

HD 1605 c orbits inside the conservative habitable zone of HD 1605 — 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 1605 c
Too hot Optimistic habitable zone Conservative habitable zone Too cold

Habitable zone of HD 1605: 1.998–4.848 AU (conservative: 2.531–4.596 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 1605 c — one full orbit around HD 1605 — lasts 2,149.0 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 3.584 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.10).

How Was HD 1605 c Discovered?

HD 1605 c was discovered in 2015 using the radial velocity method, with observations from Multiple Observatories.

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 1605 c?

HD 1605 c is 289.6 light-years (88.8 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1737. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 5,096,960 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 1605 c scores 0.35, ranking #759 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.

The Host Star: HD 1605

HD 1605

Spectral type
K1 IV
Surface temperature
4,915 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
Mass
1.33 M☉
Radius
3.49 R☉
Luminosity
6.4565 L☉
Age
4.4 billion years (Sun: 4.6)

The HD 1605 Planetary System

HD 1605 c is one of 2 known planets in the HD 1605 system. Its siblings:

HD 1605 c — Complete Data

Mass (best estimate)1,150.54 Earth masses
Orbital period2,149.00 days
Orbital distance3.584 AU
Eccentricity0.099
Earth Similarity Index0.35
Distance from Earth289.6 light-years (88.8 parsecs)
ConstellationAndromeda
Discovery methodRadial Velocity
Discovery facilityMultiple Observatories
Discovery year2015

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

Frequently Asked Questions About HD 1605 c

Is HD 1605 c habitable?

HD 1605 c orbits within the habitable zone of HD 1605, 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 1605 c?

HD 1605 c is about 290 light-years from Earth in the constellation Andromeda. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 5,096,960 years to get there.

How long is a year on HD 1605 c?

One orbit around HD 1605 takes 2,149.0 Earth days.

Exoplanet Explorer app icon

Explore HD 1605 c in the app

Browse, filter and compare 6,000+ exoplanets on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch — with habitable-zone views, widgets and offline data.

Download on the App Store