HD 94834 b
HD 94834 b is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 94834 in the constellation Leo. It lies about 320 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2018 using the radial velocity method. It orbits within the habitable zone of its star — the region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface.
Is HD 94834 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 94834 b orbits within the optimistic habitable zone of HD 94834 — the broader region where liquid water might be possible under favorable atmospheric conditions.
Habitable zone of HD 94834: 2.289–5.581 AU (conservative: 2.900–5.292 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 94834 b — one full orbit around HD 94834 — lasts 1,576.0 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 2.740 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.14).
How Was HD 94834 b Discovered?
HD 94834 b was discovered in 2018 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 94834 b?
HD 94834 b is 320.2 light-years (98.2 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1706. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 5,635,520 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 94834 b scores 0.38, ranking #567 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 94834
HD 94834
- Surface temperature
- 4,798 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.11 M☉
- Radius
- 4.20 R☉
Planetary System
HD 94834 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 94834 so far.
HD 94834 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 400.47 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 1,576.00 days |
| Orbital distance | 2.740 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.140 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.38 |
| Distance from Earth | 320.2 light-years (98.2 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Leo |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | W. M. Keck Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2018 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-12-03. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 94834 b
Is HD 94834 b habitable?
HD 94834 b orbits within the habitable zone of HD 94834, the region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. Whether it is actually habitable depends on its atmosphere and composition, which remain unknown.
How far away is HD 94834 b?
HD 94834 b is about 320 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 5,635,520 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 94834 b?
One orbit around HD 94834 takes 1,576.0 Earth days.
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