NY Vir b
The parameters of this planet are disputed or ambiguous in the scientific literature.
NY Vir b is a cold gas giant orbiting NY Vir in the constellation Virgo. It lies about 1,774 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2011 using the eclipse timing variations method.
Is NY Vir b in the Habitable Zone?
The position of NY Vir b relative to the habitable zone of NY Vir cannot be precisely determined from the available orbital data.
Orbit and Year Length
A year on NY Vir b — one full orbit around NY Vir — lasts 3,160.0 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.15).
How Was NY Vir b Discovered?
NY Vir b was discovered in 2011 using the eclipse timing variations method, with observations from Multiple Observatories.
Eclipse timing variations detect a planet orbiting an eclipsing pair of stars: the planet's gravity shifts the precise moments when the stars eclipse each other.
How Far Away Is NY Vir b?
NY Vir b is 1,774.4 light-years (544.0 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet about 1,774 years ago. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 31,229,440 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. NY Vir b scores 0.34, ranking #873 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: NY Vir
NY Vir b is a circumbinary planet — it orbits around two stars at once, like Tatooine in Star Wars.
NY Vir
- Surface temperature
- 32,780 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.46 M☉
- Radius
- 0.15 R☉
- Luminosity
- 23.7181 L☉
The NY Vir Planetary System
NY Vir b is one of 2 known planets in the NY Vir system. Its siblings:
- NY Vir c (Cold Gas Giant)
NY Vir b — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 845.43 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 3,160.00 days |
| Eccentricity | 0.150 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.34 |
| Distance from Earth | 1,774.4 light-years (544.0 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Discovery method | Eclipse Timing Variations |
| Discovery facility | Multiple Observatories |
| Discovery year | 2011 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2019-10-18. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About NY Vir b
Is NY Vir b habitable?
NY Vir b is not known to orbit within the habitable zone of NY Vir, and as a cold gas giant it is an unlikely candidate for life as we know it.
How far away is NY Vir b?
NY Vir b is about 1,774 light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 31,229,440 years to get there.
How long is a year on NY Vir b?
One orbit around NY Vir takes 3,160.0 Earth days.
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