HD 86950 b
HD 86950 b is a cold gas giant orbiting the K1 III star HD 86950 in the constellation Hydra. It lies about 684 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2016 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 86950 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 86950 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 86950. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of HD 86950: 4.761–11.604 AU (conservative: 6.031–11.002 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 86950 b — one full orbit around HD 86950 — lasts 1,270.0 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 2.720 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.17).
How Was HD 86950 b Discovered?
HD 86950 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 86950 b?
HD 86950 b is 684.4 light-years (209.8 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1342. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 12,045,440 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 86950 b scores 0.23, ranking #3,463 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 86950
HD 86950
- Spectral type
- K1 III
- Surface temperature
- 4,805 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.66 M☉
- Radius
- 8.80 R☉
- Luminosity
- 36.3003 L☉
Planetary System
HD 86950 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 86950 so far.
HD 86950 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 1,144.19 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 1,270.00 days |
| Orbital distance | 2.720 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.170 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.23 |
| Distance from Earth | 684.4 light-years (209.8 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | Multiple Observatories |
| Discovery year | 2016 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2016-11-30. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 86950 b
Is HD 86950 b habitable?
No — HD 86950 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is HD 86950 b?
HD 86950 b is about 684 light-years from Earth in the constellation Hydra. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 12,045,440 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 86950 b?
One orbit around HD 86950 takes 1,270.0 Earth days.
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