HD 164922 b
HD 164922 b is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 164922 in the constellation Hercules. It lies about 72 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2005 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 164922 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 164922 b orbits beyond the outer edge of the habitable zone of HD 164922. At that distance, any surface water would almost certainly be frozen.
Habitable zone of HD 164922: 0.647–1.542 AU (conservative: 0.819–1.462 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 164922 b — one full orbit around HD 164922 — lasts 1,207.0 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 2.160 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.08).
How Was HD 164922 b Discovered?
HD 164922 b was discovered in 2005 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 164922 b?
HD 164922 b is 71.8 light-years (22.0 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1955. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 1,263,680 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 164922 b scores 0.20, ranking #3,881 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 164922
HD 164922
- Surface temperature
- 5,390 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.93 M☉
- Radius
- 0.95 R☉
- Luminosity
- 0.7100 L☉
- Age
- 9.6 billion years (Sun: 4.6)
The HD 164922 Planetary System
HD 164922 b is one of 4 known planets in the HD 164922 system. Its siblings:
- HD 164922 c (Neptune-like)
- HD 164922 d (Super Earth)
- HD 164922 e (Neptune-like)
HD 164922 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 116.00 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 1,207.00 days |
| Orbital distance | 2.160 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.080 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.20 |
| Distance from Earth | 71.8 light-years (22.0 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | W. M. Keck Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2005 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2020-05-15. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 164922 b
Is HD 164922 b habitable?
No — HD 164922 b orbits outside the habitable zone of HD 164922 and is likely too cold for liquid water on its surface.
How far away is HD 164922 b?
HD 164922 b is about 72 light-years from Earth in the constellation Hercules. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 1,263,680 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 164922 b?
One orbit around HD 164922 takes 1,207.0 Earth days.