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HD 86081 b

Hot Jupiter Sextans

HD 86081 b is a hot Jupiter orbiting the F8 star HD 86081 in the constellation Sextans. It lies about 339 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2006 using the radial velocity method.

470×Earth mass
2.1 dOrbital period
0.07Earth similarity
339 lyDistance
2006Discovered

Is HD 86081 b in the Habitable Zone?

HD 86081 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 86081. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.

HD 86081 b
Too hot Optimistic habitable zone Conservative habitable zone Too cold

Habitable zone of HD 86081: 1.151–2.701 AU (conservative: 1.458–2.561 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 86081 b — one full orbit around HD 86081 — lasts 2.14 Earth days, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year. It orbits at an average distance of 0.035 AU — closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun. Its orbit is nearly circular (eccentricity 0.012).

How Was HD 86081 b Discovered?

HD 86081 b was discovered in 2006 using the radial velocity method, with observations from W. M. Keck 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 86081 b?

HD 86081 b is 339.0 light-years (103.9 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1687. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 5,966,400 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 86081 b scores 0.07, ranking #5,020 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.

The Host Star: HD 86081

HD 86081 b belongs to a system of 2 stars; it orbits HD 86081.

HD 86081

Spectral type
F8
Surface temperature
5,939 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
Mass
1.21 M☉
Radius
1.46 R☉
Luminosity
2.3988 L☉
Age
3.6 billion years (Sun: 4.6)

Planetary System

HD 86081 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 86081 so far.

HD 86081 b — Complete Data

Mass (best estimate)470.39 Earth masses
Orbital period2.14 days
Orbital distance0.035 AU
Eccentricity0.012
Earth Similarity Index0.07
Distance from Earth339.0 light-years (103.9 parsecs)
ConstellationSextans
Discovery methodRadial Velocity
Discovery facilityW. M. Keck Observatory
Discovery year2006

Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-09-25. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.

Frequently Asked Questions About HD 86081 b

Is HD 86081 b habitable?

No — HD 86081 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.

How far away is HD 86081 b?

HD 86081 b is about 339 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sextans. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 5,966,400 years to get there.

How long is a year on HD 86081 b?

One orbit around HD 86081 takes 2.1 Earth days — short enough that 171 of its years would fit into one Earth year.

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