HD 45364 c
HD 45364 c is a cold gas giant orbiting the K0 V star HD 45364 in the constellation Canis Major. It lies about 112 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2008 using the radial velocity method. It orbits within the habitable zone of its star — the region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface.
Is HD 45364 c in the Habitable Zone?
HD 45364 c orbits inside the conservative habitable zone of HD 45364 — the region where a rocky planet could sustain liquid water on its surface. This makes it one of the most interesting known exoplanets in the search for life.
Habitable zone of HD 45364: 0.610–1.450 AU (conservative: 0.773–1.375 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 45364 c — one full orbit around HD 45364 — lasts 345.4 Earth days, between the years of Mercury (88 days) and Earth (365 days). It orbits at an average distance of 0.902 AU — comparable to the inner Solar System. Its orbit is nearly circular (eccentricity 0.019).
How Was HD 45364 c Discovered?
HD 45364 c was discovered in 2008 using the radial velocity method, with observations from La Silla 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 45364 c?
HD 45364 c is 112.0 light-years (34.4 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1914. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 1,971,200 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 45364 c scores 0.38, ranking #573 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 45364
HD 45364
- Spectral type
- K0 V
- Surface temperature
- 5,466 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.82 M☉
- Radius
- 0.89 R☉
- Luminosity
- 0.6370 L☉
The HD 45364 Planetary System
HD 45364 c is one of 2 known planets in the HD 45364 system. Its siblings:
- HD 45364 b (Cold Gas Giant)
HD 45364 c — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 174.49 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 345.43 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.902 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.019 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.38 |
| Distance from Earth | 112.0 light-years (34.4 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Canis Major |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | La Silla Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2008 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2022-12-05. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 45364 c
Is HD 45364 c habitable?
HD 45364 c orbits within the habitable zone of HD 45364, the region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. It sits in the conservative habitable zone — the most promising region for habitability. Whether it is actually habitable depends on its atmosphere and composition, which remain unknown.
How far away is HD 45364 c?
HD 45364 c is about 112 light-years from Earth in the constellation Canis Major. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 1,971,200 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 45364 c?
One orbit around HD 45364 takes 345.4 Earth days.
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