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HD 164922 b

Cold Gas Giant Hercules

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.

116×Earth mass
1,207 dOrbital period
0.20Earth similarity
72 lyDistance
2005Discovered

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.

HD 164922 b
Too hot Optimistic habitable zone Conservative habitable zone Too cold

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 b — Complete Data

Mass (best estimate)116.00 Earth masses
Orbital period1,207.00 days
Orbital distance2.160 AU
Eccentricity0.080
Earth Similarity Index0.20
Distance from Earth71.8 light-years (22.0 parsecs)
ConstellationHercules
Discovery methodRadial Velocity
Discovery facilityW. M. Keck Observatory
Discovery year2005

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.

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