HD 73526 b
The parameters of this planet are disputed or ambiguous in the scientific literature.
HD 73526 b is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 73526 in the constellation Vela. It lies about 317 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2002 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 73526 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 73526 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 73526. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of HD 73526: 1.090–2.582 AU (conservative: 1.381–2.448 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 73526 b — one full orbit around HD 73526 — lasts 188.3 Earth days, between the years of Mercury (88 days) and Earth (365 days). It orbits at an average distance of 0.650 AU — comparable to the inner Solar System. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.19).
How Was HD 73526 b Discovered?
HD 73526 b was discovered in 2002 using the radial velocity method, with observations from Anglo-Australian Telescope.
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 73526 b?
HD 73526 b is 317.2 light-years (97.2 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1709. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 5,582,720 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 73526 b scores 0.23, ranking #3,567 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 73526
HD 73526
- Surface temperature
- 5,601 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.14 M☉
- Radius
- 1.53 R☉
The HD 73526 Planetary System
HD 73526 b is one of 2 known planets in the HD 73526 system. Its siblings:
- HD 73526 c (Cold Gas Giant)
HD 73526 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 978.92 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 188.30 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.650 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.190 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.23 |
| Distance from Earth | 317.2 light-years (97.2 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Vela |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | Anglo-Australian Telescope |
| Discovery year | 2002 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-09-04. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 73526 b
Is HD 73526 b habitable?
No — HD 73526 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is HD 73526 b?
HD 73526 b is about 317 light-years from Earth in the constellation Vela. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 5,582,720 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 73526 b?
One orbit around HD 73526 takes 188.3 Earth days.
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