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HD 191939 e

Cold Gas Giant Draco

HD 191939 e is a cold gas giant orbiting the G9 V star HD 191939 in the constellation Draco. It lies about 175 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2022 using the radial velocity method.

112×Earth mass
101 dOrbital period
390 KEquilibrium temp.
0.26Earth similarity
175 lyDistance
2022Discovered

Is HD 191939 e in the Habitable Zone?

HD 191939 e orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 191939. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.

HD 191939 e
Too hot Optimistic habitable zone Conservative habitable zone Too cold

Habitable zone of HD 191939: 0.620–1.481 AU (conservative: 0.786–1.404 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 ›

Temperature on HD 191939 e

The equilibrium temperature of HD 191939 e is about 390 K (117 °C) — hotter than anywhere on Earth. This estimate ignores any atmosphere, which could change surface temperatures dramatically — Earth's greenhouse effect adds about 33 °C. It receives 3.90 times the stellar energy that Earth gets from the Sun.

Orbit and Year Length

A year on HD 191939 e — one full orbit around HD 191939 — lasts 101.1 Earth days, between the years of Mercury (88 days) and Earth (365 days). It orbits at an average distance of 0.407 AU — comparable to the inner Solar System. Its orbit is nearly circular (eccentricity 0.031).

How Was HD 191939 e Discovered?

HD 191939 e was discovered in 2022 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 191939 e?

HD 191939 e is 174.8 light-years (53.6 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1852. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 3,076,480 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 191939 e scores 0.26, ranking #2,802 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.

The Host Star: HD 191939

HD 191939

Spectral type
G9 V
Surface temperature
5,348 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
Mass
0.81 M☉
Radius
0.94 R☉
Luminosity
0.6500 L☉
Age
8.7 billion years (Sun: 4.6)

The HD 191939 Planetary System

HD 191939 e is one of 6 known planets in the HD 191939 system. Its siblings:

HD 191939 e — Complete Data

Mass (best estimate)112.20 Earth masses
Orbital period101.12 days
Orbital distance0.407 AU
Eccentricity0.031
Equilibrium temperature390 K (117 °C)
Stellar irradiation3.90× Earth
Earth Similarity Index0.26
Distance from Earth174.8 light-years (53.6 parsecs)
ConstellationDraco
Discovery methodRadial Velocity
Discovery facilityW. M. Keck Observatory
Discovery year2022

Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2022-11-14. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.

Frequently Asked Questions About HD 191939 e

Is HD 191939 e habitable?

No — HD 191939 e orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.

How far away is HD 191939 e?

HD 191939 e is about 175 light-years from Earth in the constellation Draco. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 3,076,480 years to get there.

How long is a year on HD 191939 e?

One orbit around HD 191939 takes 101.1 Earth days.

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