HD 68402 b
HD 68402 b is a cold gas giant orbiting the G5 IV/V star HD 68402 in the constellation Volans. It lies about 256 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2016 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 68402 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 68402 b orbits beyond the outer edge of the habitable zone of HD 68402. At that distance, any surface water would almost certainly be frozen.
Habitable zone of HD 68402: 0.803–1.884 AU (conservative: 1.018–1.787 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 68402 b — one full orbit around HD 68402 — lasts 1,103.0 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 2.180 AU. Its orbit is nearly circular (eccentricity 0.030).
How Was HD 68402 b Discovered?
HD 68402 b was discovered in 2016 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 68402 b?
HD 68402 b is 255.8 light-years (78.4 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1771. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 4,502,080 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 68402 b scores 0.26, ranking #2,851 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 68402
HD 68402
- Spectral type
- G5 IV/V
- Surface temperature
- 5,950 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.12 M☉
- Radius
- 1.02 R☉
- Luminosity
- 1.1700 L☉
- Age
- 2.0 billion years (Sun: 4.6)
Planetary System
HD 68402 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 68402 so far.
HD 68402 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 975.74 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 1,103.00 days |
| Orbital distance | 2.180 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.030 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.26 |
| Distance from Earth | 255.8 light-years (78.4 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Volans |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | Multiple Observatories |
| Discovery year | 2016 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2016-11-09. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 68402 b
Is HD 68402 b habitable?
No — HD 68402 b orbits outside the habitable zone of HD 68402 and is likely too cold for liquid water on its surface.
How far away is HD 68402 b?
HD 68402 b is about 256 light-years from Earth in the constellation Volans. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 4,502,080 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 68402 b?
One orbit around HD 68402 takes 1,103.0 Earth days.
Explore HD 68402 b in the app
Browse, filter and compare 6,000+ exoplanets on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch — with habitable-zone views, widgets and offline data.
