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HD 96063 b

Cold Gas Giant Leo

HD 96063 b is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 96063 in the constellation Leo. It lies about 457 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2011 using the radial velocity method.

404×Earth mass
363 dOrbital period
0.16Earth similarity
457 lyDistance
2011Discovered

Is HD 96063 b in the Habitable Zone?

HD 96063 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 96063. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.

HD 96063 b
Too hot Optimistic habitable zone Conservative habitable zone Too cold

Habitable zone of HD 96063: 2.806–6.778 AU (conservative: 3.554–6.426 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 96063 b — one full orbit around HD 96063 — lasts 362.5 Earth days, between the years of Mercury (88 days) and Earth (365 days). It orbits at an average distance of 1.110 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.17).

How Was HD 96063 b Discovered?

HD 96063 b was discovered in 2011 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 96063 b?

HD 96063 b is 456.8 light-years (140.1 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1570. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 8,039,680 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 96063 b scores 0.16, ranking #4,182 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.

The Host Star: HD 96063

HD 96063

Surface temperature
5,020 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
Mass
1.37 M☉
Radius
4.75 R☉

Planetary System

HD 96063 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 96063 so far.

HD 96063 b — Complete Data

Mass (best estimate)403.64 Earth masses
Orbital period362.50 days
Orbital distance1.110 AU
Eccentricity0.170
Earth Similarity Index0.16
Distance from Earth456.8 light-years (140.1 parsecs)
ConstellationLeo
Discovery methodRadial Velocity
Discovery facilityW. M. Keck Observatory
Discovery year2011

Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-12-03. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.

Frequently Asked Questions About HD 96063 b

Is HD 96063 b habitable?

No — HD 96063 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.

How far away is HD 96063 b?

HD 96063 b is about 457 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 8,039,680 years to get there.

How long is a year on HD 96063 b?

One orbit around HD 96063 takes 362.5 Earth days.

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