HD 31253 b
HD 31253 b is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 31253 in the constellation Orion. It lies about 190 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2010 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 31253 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 31253 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 31253. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of HD 31253: 1.447–3.381 AU (conservative: 1.833–3.205 AU), per Kopparapu et al. (2014). Earth orbits the Sun at 1 AU.
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Orbit and Year Length
A year on HD 31253 b — one full orbit around HD 31253 — lasts 466.0 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 1.260 AU. Its orbit is highly elliptical (eccentricity 0.30), swinging dramatically closer to and farther from its star.
How Was HD 31253 b Discovered?
HD 31253 b was discovered in 2010 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 31253 b?
HD 31253 b is 189.6 light-years (58.1 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1837. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 3,336,960 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 31253 b scores 0.33, ranking #904 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 31253
HD 31253
- Surface temperature
- 6,130 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.70 M☉
- Radius
- 1.75 R☉
Planetary System
HD 31253 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 31253 so far.
HD 31253 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 197.05 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 466.00 days |
| Orbital distance | 1.260 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.300 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.33 |
| Distance from Earth | 189.6 light-years (58.1 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Orion |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | W. M. Keck Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2010 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-09-04. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 31253 b
Is HD 31253 b habitable?
No — HD 31253 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is HD 31253 b?
HD 31253 b is about 190 light-years from Earth in the constellation Orion. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 3,336,960 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 31253 b?
One orbit around HD 31253 takes 466.0 Earth days.
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