HD 47536 b
HD 47536 b is a cold gas giant orbiting the K1 III star HD 47536 in the constellation Canis Major. It lies about 400 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2002 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 47536 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 47536 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 47536. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of HD 47536: 10.828–26.904 AU (conservative: 13.716–25.507 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 47536 b — one full orbit around HD 47536 — lasts 712.1 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 1.930 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.20).
How Was HD 47536 b Discovered?
HD 47536 b was discovered in 2002 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 47536 b?
HD 47536 b is 399.7 light-years (122.5 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1627. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 7,034,720 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 47536 b scores 0.09, ranking #4,499 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 47536
HD 47536
- Spectral type
- K1 III
- Surface temperature
- 4,380 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 2.10 M☉
- Radius
- 23.47 R☉
Planetary System
HD 47536 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 47536 so far.
HD 47536 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 2,330.00 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 712.13 days |
| Orbital distance | 1.930 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.200 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.09 |
| Distance from Earth | 399.7 light-years (122.5 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Canis Major |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | La Silla Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2002 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2015-03-26. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 47536 b
Is HD 47536 b habitable?
No — HD 47536 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is HD 47536 b?
HD 47536 b is about 400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Canis Major. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 7,034,720 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 47536 b?
One orbit around HD 47536 takes 712.1 Earth days.