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HD 212771 b

Cold Gas Giant Aquarius

HD 212771 b is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 212771 in the constellation Aquarius. It lies about 363 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2009 using the radial velocity method.

760×Earth mass
381 dOrbital period
0.15Earth similarity
363 lyDistance
2009Discovered

Is HD 212771 b in the Habitable Zone?

HD 212771 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 212771. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.

HD 212771 b
Too hot Optimistic habitable zone Conservative habitable zone Too cold

Habitable zone of HD 212771: 3.094–7.480 AU (conservative: 3.919–7.092 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 212771 b — one full orbit around HD 212771 — lasts 380.7 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 1.190 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.08).

How Was HD 212771 b Discovered?

HD 212771 b was discovered in 2009 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 212771 b?

HD 212771 b is 362.5 light-years (111.2 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1664. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 6,380,000 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 212771 b scores 0.15, ranking #4,192 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.

The Host Star: HD 212771

HD 212771

Surface temperature
5,003 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
Mass
1.56 M☉
Radius
5.27 R☉

Planetary System

HD 212771 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 212771 so far.

HD 212771 b — Complete Data

Mass (best estimate)759.61 Earth masses
Orbital period380.70 days
Orbital distance1.190 AU
Eccentricity0.076
Earth Similarity Index0.15
Distance from Earth362.5 light-years (111.2 parsecs)
ConstellationAquarius
Discovery methodRadial Velocity
Discovery facilityW. M. Keck Observatory
Discovery year2009

Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-12-03. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.

Frequently Asked Questions About HD 212771 b

Is HD 212771 b habitable?

No — HD 212771 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.

How far away is HD 212771 b?

HD 212771 b is about 363 light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 6,380,000 years to get there.

How long is a year on HD 212771 b?

One orbit around HD 212771 takes 380.7 Earth days.

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