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HD 56957 b

Cold Gas Giant Puppis

HD 56957 b is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 56957 in the constellation Puppis. It lies about 201 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2022 using the radial velocity method.

1,881×Earth mass
5,859 dOrbital period
0.14Earth similarity
201 lyDistance
2022Discovered

Is HD 56957 b in the Habitable Zone?

The position of HD 56957 b relative to the habitable zone of HD 56957 cannot be precisely determined from the available orbital data.

Orbit and Year Length

A year on HD 56957 b — one full orbit around HD 56957 — lasts 5,859.1 Earth days, longer than Jupiter's 12-year orbit. It orbits at an average distance of 6.426 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.27).

How Was HD 56957 b Discovered?

HD 56957 b was discovered in 2022 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 56957 b?

HD 56957 b is 200.6 light-years (61.5 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1826. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 3,530,560 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 56957 b scores 0.14, ranking #4,237 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.

The Host Star: HD 56957

HD 56957

Mass
1.03 M☉

Planetary System

HD 56957 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 56957 so far.

HD 56957 b — Complete Data

Mass1,880.91 Earth masses (5.918 Jupiter masses)
Orbital period5,859.09 days
Orbital distance6.426 AU
Eccentricity0.273
Earth Similarity Index0.14
Distance from Earth200.6 light-years (61.5 parsecs)
ConstellationPuppis
Discovery methodRadial Velocity
Discovery facilityMultiple Observatories
Discovery year2022

Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2023-06-12. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.

Frequently Asked Questions About HD 56957 b

Is HD 56957 b habitable?

HD 56957 b is not known to orbit within the habitable zone of HD 56957, and as a cold gas giant it is an unlikely candidate for life as we know it.

How far away is HD 56957 b?

HD 56957 b is about 201 light-years from Earth in the constellation Puppis. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 3,530,560 years to get there.

How long is a year on HD 56957 b?

One orbit around HD 56957 takes 5,859.1 Earth days.

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