mu Leo b
mu Leo b is a cold gas giant orbiting the K2 III star mu Leo in the constellation Leo. It lies about 106 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2014 using the radial velocity method.
Is mu Leo b in the Habitable Zone?
mu Leo b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of mu Leo. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of mu Leo: 6.322–15.591 AU (conservative: 8.007–14.782 AU), per Kopparapu et al. (2014). Earth orbits the Sun at 1 AU.
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Orbit and Year Length
A year on mu Leo b — one full orbit around mu Leo — lasts 357.8 Earth days, between the years of Mercury (88 days) and Earth (365 days). It orbits at an average distance of 1.100 AU — comparable to the inner Solar System. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.09).
How Was mu Leo b Discovered?
mu Leo b was discovered in 2014 using the radial velocity method, with observations from Bohyunsan Optical Astronomical 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 mu Leo b?
mu Leo b is 106.4 light-years (32.6 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1920. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 1,872,640 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. mu Leo b scores 0.09, ranking #4,546 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: mu Leo
mu Leo
- Spectral type
- K2 III
- Surface temperature
- 4,538 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.50 M☉
- Radius
- 11.40 R☉
- Luminosity
- 62.6614 L☉
- Age
- 3.4 billion years (Sun: 4.6)
Planetary System
mu Leo b is the only planet known to orbit mu Leo so far.
mu Leo b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 762.80 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 357.80 days |
| Orbital distance | 1.100 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.090 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.09 |
| Distance from Earth | 106.4 light-years (32.6 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Leo |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | Bohyunsan Optical Astronomical Observatory |
| Discovery year | 2014 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2014-05-14. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About mu Leo b
Is mu Leo b habitable?
No — mu Leo b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is mu Leo b?
mu Leo b is about 106 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 1,872,640 years to get there.
How long is a year on mu Leo b?
One orbit around mu Leo takes 357.8 Earth days.
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