HD 202696 b
HD 202696 b is a cold gas giant orbiting the K0 III-IV star HD 202696 in the constellation Vulpecula. It lies about 615 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2019 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 202696 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 202696 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 202696. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of HD 202696: 3.782–9.129 AU (conservative: 4.790–8.655 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 202696 b — one full orbit around HD 202696 — lasts 517.8 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 1.566 AU. Its orbit is nearly circular (eccentricity 0.011).
How Was HD 202696 b Discovered?
HD 202696 b was discovered in 2019 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 202696 b?
HD 202696 b is 615.0 light-years (188.5 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1411. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 10,824,000 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 202696 b scores 0.16, ranking #4,119 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 202696
HD 202696
- Spectral type
- K0 III-IV
- Surface temperature
- 5,040 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.91 M☉
- Radius
- 6.43 R☉
- Luminosity
- 23.4002 L☉
- Age
- 1.3 billion years (Sun: 4.6)
The HD 202696 Planetary System
HD 202696 b is one of 2 known planets in the HD 202696 system. Its siblings:
- HD 202696 c (Cold Gas Giant)
HD 202696 b — Complete Data
| Mass | 634.39 Earth masses (1.996 Jupiter masses) |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 517.80 days |
| Orbital distance | 1.566 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.011 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.16 |
| Distance from Earth | 615.0 light-years (188.5 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Vulpecula |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | W. M. Keck Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2019 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2019-01-14. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 202696 b
Is HD 202696 b habitable?
No — HD 202696 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is HD 202696 b?
HD 202696 b is about 615 light-years from Earth in the constellation Vulpecula. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 10,824,000 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 202696 b?
One orbit around HD 202696 takes 517.8 Earth days.
Explore HD 202696 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.
