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HD 74698 c

Cold Gas Giant Volans

HD 74698 c is a cold gas giant orbiting the G5 V star HD 74698 in the constellation Volans. It lies about 170 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2023 using the radial velocity method.

126×Earth mass
3,449 dOrbital period
0.15Earth similarity
170 lyDistance
2023Discovered

Is HD 74698 c in the Habitable Zone?

HD 74698 c orbits beyond the outer edge of the habitable zone of HD 74698. At that distance, any surface water would almost certainly be frozen.

HD 74698 c →
Too hot Optimistic habitable zone Conservative habitable zone Too cold

Habitable zone of HD 74698: 1.004–2.364 AU (conservative: 1.271–2.242 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 ›

Temperature on HD 74698 c

HD 74698 c receives 0.09 times the stellar energy that Earth gets from the Sun.

Orbit and Year Length

A year on HD 74698 c — one full orbit around HD 74698 — lasts 3,449.0 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 4.500 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.20).

How Was HD 74698 c Discovered?

HD 74698 c was discovered in 2023 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 74698 c?

HD 74698 c is 169.8 light-years (52.1 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1857. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 2,988,480 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 74698 c scores 0.15, ranking #4,212 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.

The Host Star: HD 74698

HD 74698

Spectral type
G5 V
Surface temperature
5,783 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
Mass
1.04 M☉
Radius
1.33 R☉
Luminosity
1.7900 L☉
Age
7.8 billion years (Sun: 4.6)

The HD 74698 Planetary System

HD 74698 c is one of 2 known planets in the HD 74698 system. Its siblings:

HD 74698 c — Complete Data

Mass (best estimate)126.00 Earth masses
Orbital period3,449.00 days
Orbital distance4.500 AU
Eccentricity0.200
Stellar irradiation0.09× Earth
Earth Similarity Index0.15
Distance from Earth169.8 light-years (52.1 parsecs)
ConstellationVolans
Discovery methodRadial Velocity
Discovery facilityLa Silla Observatory
Discovery year2023

Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2023-06-27. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.

Frequently Asked Questions About HD 74698 c

Is HD 74698 c habitable?

No — HD 74698 c orbits outside the habitable zone of HD 74698 and is likely too cold for liquid water on its surface.

How far away is HD 74698 c?

HD 74698 c is about 170 light-years from Earth in the constellation Volans. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 2,988,480 years to get there.

How long is a year on HD 74698 c?

One orbit around HD 74698 takes 3,449.0 Earth days.

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