TIC 172900988 b
TIC 172900988 b is a cold gas giant orbiting the F9 star TIC 172900988 Aa in the constellation Cancer. It lies about 819 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2021 using the transit method.
How Big Is TIC 172900988 b?
TIC 172900988 b has a radius of 11.25 times that of Earth, or 1.00 times the radius of Jupiter. Its mass is 942 times that of Earth, giving it a density of 3.64 g/cm³ — between that of rocky and gaseous planets.
Is TIC 172900988 b in the Habitable Zone?
TIC 172900988 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of TIC 172900988 Aa. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of TIC 172900988 Aa: 1.120–2.622 AU (conservative: 1.419–2.486 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 TIC 172900988 b — one full orbit around TIC 172900988 Aa — lasts 200.5 Earth days, between the years of Mercury (88 days) and Earth (365 days). It orbits at an average distance of 0.903 AU — comparable to the inner Solar System. Its orbit is nearly circular (eccentricity 0.027).
How Was TIC 172900988 b Discovered?
TIC 172900988 b was discovered in 2021 using the transit method, with observations from Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
The transit method watches a star for the tiny, regular dip in brightness that occurs when a planet crosses in front of it. The depth and timing of these dips reveal the planet's size and orbital period.
How Far Away Is TIC 172900988 b?
TIC 172900988 b is 818.5 light-years (251.0 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1208. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 14,405,600 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. TIC 172900988 b scores 0.23, ranking #3,552 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: TIC 172900988 Aa
TIC 172900988 b is a circumbinary planet — it orbits around two stars at once, like Tatooine in Star Wars.
TIC 172900988 Aa
- Spectral type
- F9
- Surface temperature
- 6,050 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.24 M☉
- Radius
- 1.38 R☉
- Age
- 3.1 billion years (Sun: 4.6)
Planetary System
TIC 172900988 b is the only planet known to orbit TIC 172900988 Aa so far.
TIC 172900988 b — Complete Data
| Radius | 11.250 Earth radii (1.004 Jupiter radii) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 942.00 Earth masses (2.964 Jupiter masses) |
| Density | 3.64 g/cm³ (Earth: 5.51) |
| Orbital period | 200.45 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.903 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.027 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.23 |
| Distance from Earth | 818.5 light-years (251.0 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Cancer |
| Discovery method | Transit |
| Discovery facility | Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) |
| Discovery year | 2021 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2021-09-08. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About TIC 172900988 b
Is TIC 172900988 b habitable?
No — TIC 172900988 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is TIC 172900988 b?
TIC 172900988 b is about 819 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cancer. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 14,405,600 years to get there.
How big is TIC 172900988 b compared to Earth?
TIC 172900988 b has 11.25 times the radius of Earth and about 942 times its mass.
How long is a year on TIC 172900988 b?
One orbit around TIC 172900988 Aa takes 200.5 Earth days.
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