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V1298 Tau d

Cold Gas Giant Taurus

V1298 Tau d is a cold gas giant orbiting V1298 Tau in the constellation Taurus. It lies about 353 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2019 using the transit method.

6.53×Earth radius
6.0×Earth mass
12 dOrbital period
831 KEquilibrium temp.
0.14Earth similarity
353 lyDistance
2019Discovered

How Big Is V1298 Tau d?

Earth1.00 R⊕V1298 Tau d6.53 R⊕Jupiter11.21 R⊕
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V1298 Tau d has a radius of 6.53 times that of Earth, or 0.58 times the radius of Jupiter. Its mass is 6.0 times that of Earth, giving it a density of 0.12 g/cm³ — closer to gas planets like Jupiter (1.33 g/cm³).

Is V1298 Tau d in the Habitable Zone?

V1298 Tau d orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of V1298 Tau. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.

V1298 Tau d
Too hot Optimistic habitable zone Conservative habitable zone Too cold

Habitable zone of V1298 Tau: 0.766–1.854 AU (conservative: 0.970–1.758 AU), per Kopparapu et al. (2014). Earth orbits the Sun at 1 AU.

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Temperature on V1298 Tau d

The equilibrium temperature of V1298 Tau d is about 831 K (558 °C) — hot enough to melt many metals. This estimate ignores any atmosphere, which could change surface temperatures dramatically — Earth's greenhouse effect adds about 33 °C.

Orbit and Year Length

A year on V1298 Tau d — one full orbit around V1298 Tau — lasts 12.4 Earth days, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year. It orbits at an average distance of 0.108 AU — closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun. Its orbit is nearly circular (eccentricity 0.009).

How Was V1298 Tau d Discovered?

V1298 Tau d was discovered in 2019 using the transit method, with observations from K2.

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 V1298 Tau d?

V1298 Tau d is 352.9 light-years (108.2 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1674. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 6,211,040 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. V1298 Tau d scores 0.14, ranking #4,259 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.

The Host Star: V1298 Tau

V1298 Tau d belongs to a system of 3 stars; it orbits V1298 Tau.

V1298 Tau

Surface temperature
4,970 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
Mass
1.10 M☉
Radius
1.32 R☉
Age
0.0 billion years (Sun: 4.6)

The V1298 Tau Planetary System

V1298 Tau d is one of 4 known planets in the V1298 Tau system. Its siblings:

V1298 Tau d — Complete Data

Radius6.530 Earth radii (0.583 Jupiter radii)
Mass6.00 Earth masses (0.019 Jupiter masses)
Density0.12 g/cm³ (Earth: 5.51)
Orbital period12.40 days
Orbital distance0.108 AU
Eccentricity0.009
Equilibrium temperature831 K (558 °C)
Earth Similarity Index0.14
Distance from Earth352.9 light-years (108.2 parsecs)
ConstellationTaurus
Discovery methodTransit
Discovery facilityK2
Discovery year2019

Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2026-02-26. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.

Frequently Asked Questions About V1298 Tau d

Is V1298 Tau d habitable?

No — V1298 Tau d orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.

How far away is V1298 Tau d?

V1298 Tau d is about 353 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 6,211,040 years to get there.

How big is V1298 Tau d compared to Earth?

V1298 Tau d has 6.53 times the radius of Earth and about 6.0 times its mass.

How long is a year on V1298 Tau d?

One orbit around V1298 Tau takes 12.4 Earth days — short enough that 29 of its years would fit into one Earth year.

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