WASP-117 b
WASP-117 b is a cold gas giant orbiting WASP-117 in the constellation Eridanus. It lies about 515 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2014 using the transit method.
How Big Is WASP-117 b?
WASP-117 b has a radius of 11.88 times that of Earth, or 1.06 times the radius of Jupiter. Its mass is 95.3 times that of Earth.
Is WASP-117 b in the Habitable Zone?
The position of WASP-117 b relative to the habitable zone of WASP-117 cannot be precisely determined from the available orbital data.
Habitable zone of WASP-117: 0.985–2.305 AU (conservative: 1.247–2.185 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-117 b — one full orbit around WASP-117 — lasts 10.0 Earth days, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year. Its orbit is highly elliptical (eccentricity 0.30), swinging dramatically closer to and farther from its star.
How Was WASP-117 b Discovered?
WASP-117 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-117 b?
WASP-117 b is 515.2 light-years (158.0 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1511. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 9,067,520 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-117 b scores 0.08, ranking #4,683 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: WASP-117
WASP-117
- Surface temperature
- 6,040 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.29 M☉
- Radius
- 1.22 R☉
Planetary System
WASP-117 b is the only planet known to orbit WASP-117 so far.
WASP-117 b — Complete Data
| Radius | 11.882 Earth radii (1.060 Jupiter radii) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 95.35 Earth masses (0.300 Jupiter masses) |
| Orbital period | 10.02 days |
| Eccentricity | 0.300 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.08 |
| Distance from Earth | 515.2 light-years (158.0 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| 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-117 b
Is WASP-117 b habitable?
WASP-117 b is not known to orbit within the habitable zone of WASP-117, and as a cold gas giant it is an unlikely candidate for life as we know it.
How far away is WASP-117 b?
WASP-117 b is about 515 light-years from Earth in the constellation Eridanus. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 9,067,520 years to get there.
How big is WASP-117 b compared to Earth?
WASP-117 b has 11.88 times the radius of Earth and about 95.3 times its mass.
How long is a year on WASP-117 b?
One orbit around WASP-117 takes 10.0 Earth days — short enough that 36 of its years would fit into one Earth year.
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