HD 47186 c
HD 47186 c is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 47186 in the constellation Canis Major. It lies about 122 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2008 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 47186 c in the Habitable Zone?
HD 47186 c orbits beyond the outer edge of the habitable zone of HD 47186. At that distance, any surface water would almost certainly be frozen.
Habitable zone of HD 47186: 0.783–1.850 AU (conservative: 0.991–1.754 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 47186 c — one full orbit around HD 47186 — lasts 1,353.6 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 2.395 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.25).
How Was HD 47186 c Discovered?
HD 47186 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 47186 c?
HD 47186 c is 122.2 light-years (37.5 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1904. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 2,150,720 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 47186 c scores 0.23, ranking #3,488 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 47186
HD 47186
- Surface temperature
- 5,657 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.96 M☉
- Radius
- 1.08 R☉
The HD 47186 Planetary System
HD 47186 c is one of 2 known planets in the HD 47186 system. Its siblings:
- HD 47186 b (Neptune-like)
HD 47186 c — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 111.42 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 1,353.60 days |
| Orbital distance | 2.395 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.249 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.23 |
| Distance from Earth | 122.2 light-years (37.5 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Canis Major |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | La Silla Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2008 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2015-03-26. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 47186 c
Is HD 47186 c habitable?
No — HD 47186 c orbits outside the habitable zone of HD 47186 and is likely too cold for liquid water on its surface.
How far away is HD 47186 c?
HD 47186 c is about 122 light-years from Earth in the constellation Canis Major. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 2,150,720 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 47186 c?
One orbit around HD 47186 takes 1,353.6 Earth days.
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