HD 50499 b
HD 50499 b is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 50499 in the constellation Puppis. It lies about 151 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2005 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 50499 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 50499 b orbits beyond the outer edge of the habitable zone of HD 50499. At that distance, any surface water would almost certainly be frozen.
Habitable zone of HD 50499: 1.109–2.592 AU (conservative: 1.404–2.457 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 50499 b — one full orbit around HD 50499 — lasts 2,447.1 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 3.833 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.27).
How Was HD 50499 b Discovered?
HD 50499 b was discovered in 2005 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 50499 b?
HD 50499 b is 151.0 light-years (46.3 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1875. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 2,657,600 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 50499 b scores 0.21, ranking #3,790 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 50499
HD 50499
- Surface temperature
- 6,102 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.25 M☉
- Radius
- 1.35 R☉
- Age
- 2.4 billion years (Sun: 4.6)
The HD 50499 Planetary System
HD 50499 b is one of 2 known planets in the HD 50499 system. Its siblings:
- HD 50499 c (Cold Gas Giant)
HD 50499 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 519.97 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 2,447.10 days |
| Orbital distance | 3.833 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.266 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.21 |
| Distance from Earth | 151.0 light-years (46.3 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Puppis |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | W. M. Keck Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2005 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2019-06-24. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 50499 b
Is HD 50499 b habitable?
No — HD 50499 b orbits outside the habitable zone of HD 50499 and is likely too cold for liquid water on its surface.
How far away is HD 50499 b?
HD 50499 b is about 151 light-years from Earth in the constellation Puppis. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 2,657,600 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 50499 b?
One orbit around HD 50499 takes 2,447.1 Earth days.
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