Skip to main content

HD 173416 b

Cold Gas Giant Lyra

HD 173416 b is a cold gas giant orbiting the G8 star HD 173416 in the constellation Lyra. It lies about 431 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2008 using the radial velocity method.

585×Earth mass
322 dOrbital period
0.08Earth similarity
431 lyDistance
2008Discovered

Is HD 173416 b in the Habitable Zone?

HD 173416 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 173416. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.

HD 173416 b
Too hot Optimistic habitable zone Conservative habitable zone Too cold

Habitable zone of HD 173416: 7.014–17.185 AU (conservative: 8.884–16.293 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 173416 b — one full orbit around HD 173416 — lasts 322.0 Earth days, between the years of Mercury (88 days) and Earth (365 days). It orbits at an average distance of 1.158 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.21).

How Was HD 173416 b Discovered?

HD 173416 b was discovered in 2008 using the radial velocity method, with observations from Xinglong Station.

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 173416 b?

HD 173416 b is 431.1 light-years (132.2 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1595. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 7,587,360 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 173416 b scores 0.08, ranking #4,585 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.

The Host Star: HD 173416

HD 173416

Spectral type
G8
Surface temperature
4,683 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
Mass
2.00 M☉
Radius
13.50 R☉
Luminosity
77.9830 L☉

Planetary System

HD 173416 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 173416 so far.

HD 173416 b — Complete Data

Mass (best estimate)585.12 Earth masses
Orbital period322.03 days
Orbital distance1.158 AU
Eccentricity0.208
Earth Similarity Index0.08
Distance from Earth431.1 light-years (132.2 parsecs)
ConstellationLyra
Discovery methodRadial Velocity
Discovery facilityXinglong Station
Discovery year2008

Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2023-09-19. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.

Frequently Asked Questions About HD 173416 b

Is HD 173416 b habitable?

No — HD 173416 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.

How far away is HD 173416 b?

HD 173416 b is about 431 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 7,587,360 years to get there.

How long is a year on HD 173416 b?

One orbit around HD 173416 takes 322.0 Earth days.

Exoplanet Explorer app icon

Explore HD 173416 b 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