HIP 63242 b
HIP 63242 b is a cold gas giant orbiting the G8 star HIP 63242 in the constellation Musca. It lies about 510 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2013 using the radial velocity method.
Is HIP 63242 b in the Habitable Zone?
HIP 63242 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of HIP 63242. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of HIP 63242: 5.156–12.552 AU (conservative: 6.530–11.901 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 HIP 63242 b — one full orbit around HIP 63242 — lasts 124.6 Earth days, between the years of Mercury (88 days) and Earth (365 days). It orbits at an average distance of 0.565 AU — comparable to the inner Solar System. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.23).
How Was HIP 63242 b Discovered?
HIP 63242 b was discovered in 2013 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 HIP 63242 b?
HIP 63242 b is 510.3 light-years (156.5 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1516. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 8,981,280 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. HIP 63242 b scores 0.08, ranking #4,691 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: HIP 63242
HIP 63242
- Spectral type
- G8
- Surface temperature
- 4,830 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.54 M☉
- Luminosity
- 42.6580 L☉
Planetary System
HIP 63242 b is the only planet known to orbit HIP 63242 so far.
HIP 63242 b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 2,917.56 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 124.60 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.565 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.230 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.08 |
| Distance from Earth | 510.3 light-years (156.5 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Musca |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | Multiple Observatories |
| Discovery year | 2013 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2014-05-14. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About HIP 63242 b
Is HIP 63242 b habitable?
No — HIP 63242 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is HIP 63242 b?
HIP 63242 b is about 510 light-years from Earth in the constellation Musca. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 8,981,280 years to get there.
How long is a year on HIP 63242 b?
One orbit around HIP 63242 takes 124.6 Earth days.
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