HD 34445 c
HD 34445 c is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 34445 in the constellation Orion. It lies about 150 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2017 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 34445 c in the Habitable Zone?
HD 34445 c orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 34445. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of HD 34445: 1.066–2.504 AU (conservative: 1.350–2.374 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 34445 c — one full orbit around HD 34445 — lasts 214.7 Earth days, between the years of Mercury (88 days) and Earth (365 days). It orbits at an average distance of 0.718 AU — comparable to the inner Solar System. Its orbit is nearly circular (eccentricity 0.036).
How Was HD 34445 c Discovered?
HD 34445 c was discovered in 2017 using the radial velocity method, with observations from Multiple Observatories.
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 34445 c?
HD 34445 c is 150.3 light-years (46.1 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1876. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 2,645,280 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 34445 c scores 0.30, ranking #1,282 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 34445
HD 34445
- Surface temperature
- 5,879 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.14 M☉
- Radius
- 1.38 R☉
The HD 34445 Planetary System
HD 34445 c is one of 6 known planets in the HD 34445 system. Its siblings:
- HD 34445 b (Cold Gas Giant)
- HD 34445 d (Neptune-like)
- HD 34445 e (Neptune-like)
- HD 34445 f (Neptune-like)
- HD 34445 g (Cold Gas Giant)
HD 34445 c — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 53.50 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 214.67 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.718 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.036 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.30 |
| Distance from Earth | 150.3 light-years (46.1 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Orion |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | Multiple Observatories |
| Discovery year | 2017 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2017-10-23. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 34445 c
Is HD 34445 c habitable?
No — HD 34445 c orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is HD 34445 c?
HD 34445 c is about 150 light-years from Earth in the constellation Orion. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 2,645,280 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 34445 c?
One orbit around HD 34445 takes 214.7 Earth days.