WASP-101 b
WASP-101 b is a hot Jupiter orbiting WASP-101 in the constellation Canis Major. It lies about 656 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2014 using the transit method.
How Big Is WASP-101 b?
WASP-101 b has a radius of 16.03 times that of Earth, or 1.43 times the radius of Jupiter. Its mass is 162 times that of Earth.
Is WASP-101 b in the Habitable Zone?
The position of WASP-101 b relative to the habitable zone of WASP-101 cannot be precisely determined from the available orbital data.
Habitable zone of WASP-101: 1.156–2.688 AU (conservative: 1.464–2.548 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 WASP-101 b — one full orbit around WASP-101 — lasts 3.59 Earth days, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year.
How Was WASP-101 b Discovered?
WASP-101 b was discovered in 2014 using the transit method, with observations from SuperWASP.
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 WASP-101 b?
WASP-101 b is 656.3 light-years (201.2 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1370. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 11,550,880 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. WASP-101 b scores 0.06, ranking #5,186 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: WASP-101
WASP-101
- Surface temperature
- 6,380 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.41 M☉
- Radius
- 1.31 R☉
Planetary System
WASP-101 b is the only planet known to orbit WASP-101 so far.
WASP-101 b — Complete Data
| Radius | 16.029 Earth radii (1.430 Jupiter radii) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 162.09 Earth masses (0.510 Jupiter masses) |
| Orbital period | 3.59 days |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.06 |
| Distance from Earth | 656.3 light-years (201.2 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Canis Major |
| Discovery method | Transit |
| Discovery facility | SuperWASP |
| Discovery year | 2014 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-04-25. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About WASP-101 b
Is WASP-101 b habitable?
WASP-101 b is not known to orbit within the habitable zone of WASP-101, and as a hot Jupiter it is an unlikely candidate for life as we know it.
How far away is WASP-101 b?
WASP-101 b is about 656 light-years from Earth in the constellation Canis Major. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 11,550,880 years to get there.
How big is WASP-101 b compared to Earth?
WASP-101 b has 16.03 times the radius of Earth and about 162 times its mass.
How long is a year on WASP-101 b?
One orbit around WASP-101 takes 3.6 Earth days — short enough that 102 of its years would fit into one Earth year.
Explore WASP-101 b in the app
Browse, filter and compare 6,000+ exoplanets on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch — with habitable-zone views, widgets and offline data.
