HD 96992 b
HD 96992 b is a cold gas giant orbiting HD 96992 in the constellation Ursa Major. It lies about 1,292 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2021 using the radial velocity method.
Is HD 96992 b in the Habitable Zone?
HD 96992 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HD 96992. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of HD 96992: 4.307–10.535 AU (conservative: 5.456–9.988 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 96992 b — one full orbit around HD 96992 — lasts 514.0 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 1.240 AU. Its orbit is highly elliptical (eccentricity 0.41), swinging dramatically closer to and farther from its star.
How Was HD 96992 b Discovered?
HD 96992 b was discovered in 2021 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 96992 b?
HD 96992 b is 1,291.8 light-years (396.1 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet about 1,292 years ago. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 22,735,680 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 96992 b scores 0.11, ranking #4,360 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HD 96992
HD 96992
- Surface temperature
- 4,725 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.96 M☉
- Radius
- 7.43 R☉
- Luminosity
- 29.5121 L☉
Planetary System
HD 96992 b is the only planet known to orbit HD 96992 so far.
HD 96992 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 362.33 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 514.00 days |
| Orbital distance | 1.240 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.410 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.11 |
| Distance from Earth | 1,291.8 light-years (396.1 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | Multiple Observatories |
| Discovery year | 2021 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2021-02-05. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HD 96992 b
Is HD 96992 b habitable?
No — HD 96992 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is HD 96992 b?
HD 96992 b is about 1,292 light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 22,735,680 years to get there.
How long is a year on HD 96992 b?
One orbit around HD 96992 takes 514.0 Earth days.
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