HD 77338 b
HD 77338 b is a Neptune-like planet orbiting HD 77338 in the constellation Pyxis. It lies about 150 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2012 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 77338 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 77338 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 77338. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of HD 77338: 0.638–1.523 AU (conservative: 0.808–1.444 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 77338 b — one full orbit around HD 77338 — lasts 5.74 Earth days, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year. It orbits at an average distance of 0.060 AU — closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.09).
How Was HD 77338 b Discovered?
HD 77338 b was discovered in 2012 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 77338 b?
HD 77338 b is 149.8 light-years (45.9 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1877. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 2,636,480 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 77338 b scores 0.18, ranking #4,038 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 77338
HD 77338
- Surface temperature
- 5,341 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.37 M☉
- Radius
- 0.97 R☉
Planetary System
HD 77338 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 77338 so far.
HD 77338 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 19.07 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 5.74 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.060 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.090 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.18 |
| Distance from Earth | 149.8 light-years (45.9 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Pyxis |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | La Silla Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2012 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-09-04. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 77338 b
Is HD 77338 b habitable?
No — HD 77338 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is HD 77338 b?
HD 77338 b is about 150 light-years from Earth in the constellation Pyxis. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 2,636,480 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 77338 b?
One orbit around HD 77338 takes 5.7 Earth days — short enough that 64 of its years would fit into one Earth year.
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