HD 95872 b
HD 95872 b is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 95872 in the constellation Crater. It lies about 236 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2015 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 95872 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 95872 b orbits beyond the outer edge of the habitable zone of HD 95872. At that distance, any surface water would almost certainly be frozen.
Habitable zone of HD 95872: 0.547–1.308 AU (conservative: 0.693–1.240 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 95872 b — one full orbit around HD 95872 — lasts 4,375.0 Earth days, longer than Jupiter's 12-year orbit. It orbits at an average distance of 5.150 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.06).
How Was HD 95872 b Discovered?
HD 95872 b was discovered in 2015 using the radial velocity method, with observations from Multiple Facilities.
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 95872 b?
HD 95872 b is 235.5 light-years (72.2 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1791. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 4,144,800 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 95872 b scores 0.09, ranking #4,509 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 95872
HD 95872
- Surface temperature
- 5,312 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.70 M☉
- Radius
- 0.84 R☉
Planetary System
HD 95872 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 95872 so far.
HD 95872 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 1,188.68 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 4,375.00 days |
| Orbital distance | 5.150 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.060 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.09 |
| Distance from Earth | 235.5 light-years (72.2 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Crater |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | Multiple Facilities |
| Discovery year | 2015 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-09-04. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 95872 b
Is HD 95872 b habitable?
No — HD 95872 b orbits outside the habitable zone of HD 95872 and is likely too cold for liquid water on its surface.
How far away is HD 95872 b?
HD 95872 b is about 236 light-years from Earth in the constellation Crater. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 4,144,800 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 95872 b?
One orbit around HD 95872 takes 4,375.0 Earth days.
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