HD 96127 b
HD 96127 b is a cold gas giant orbiting the K2 III star HD 96127 in the constellation Ursa Major. It lies about 1,917 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2011 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 96127 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 96127 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 96127. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of HD 96127: 13.236–33.597 AU (conservative: 16.766–31.853 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 96127 b — one full orbit around HD 96127 — lasts 638.9 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 1.410 AU. Its orbit is highly elliptical (eccentricity 0.30), swinging dramatically closer to and farther from its star.
How Was HD 96127 b Discovered?
HD 96127 b was discovered in 2011 using the radial velocity method, with observations from McDonald 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 96127 b?
HD 96127 b is 1,916.7 light-years (587.7 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet about 1,917 years ago. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 33,733,920 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 96127 b scores 0.08, ranking #4,764 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 96127
HD 96127
- Spectral type
- K2 III
- Surface temperature
- 3,943 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.91 M☉
- Radius
- 35.00 R☉
Planetary System
HD 96127 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 96127 so far.
HD 96127 b — Complete Data
| Mass | 1,207.75 Earth masses (3.800 Jupiter masses) |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 638.90 days |
| Orbital distance | 1.410 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.300 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.08 |
| Distance from Earth | 1,916.7 light-years (587.7 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | McDonald Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2011 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2026-06-04. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 96127 b
Is HD 96127 b habitable?
No — HD 96127 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is HD 96127 b?
HD 96127 b is about 1,917 light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 33,733,920 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 96127 b?
One orbit around HD 96127 takes 638.9 Earth days.
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