WASP-131 b
WASP-131 b is a hot Jupiter orbiting WASP-131 in the constellation Centaurus. It lies about 653 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2016 using the transit method.
How Big Is WASP-131 b?
WASP-131 b has a radius of 13.74 times that of Earth, or 1.23 times the radius of Jupiter. Its mass is 86.8 times that of Earth, giving it a density of 0.20 g/cm³ — closer to gas planets like Jupiter (1.33 g/cm³).
Is WASP-131 b in the Habitable Zone?
WASP-131 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of WASP-131. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of WASP-131: 1.243–2.913 AU (conservative: 1.574–2.762 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-131 b — one full orbit around WASP-131 — lasts 5.32 Earth days, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year. It orbits at an average distance of 0.061 AU — closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun.
How Was WASP-131 b Discovered?
WASP-131 b was discovered in 2016 using the transit method, with observations from SuperWASP-South.
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-131 b?
WASP-131 b is 652.6 light-years (200.1 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1374. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 11,485,760 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-131 b scores 0.07, ranking #5,007 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: WASP-131
WASP-131
- Surface temperature
- 5,990 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.06 M☉
- Radius
- 1.56 R☉
- Age
- 7.0 billion years (Sun: 4.6)
Planetary System
WASP-131 b is the only planet known to orbit WASP-131 so far.
WASP-131 b — Complete Data
| Radius | 13.742 Earth radii (1.226 Jupiter radii) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 86.77 Earth masses (0.273 Jupiter masses) |
| Density | 0.20 g/cm³ (Earth: 5.51) |
| Orbital period | 5.32 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.061 AU |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.07 |
| Distance from Earth | 652.6 light-years (200.1 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Discovery method | Transit |
| Discovery facility | SuperWASP-South |
| Discovery year | 2016 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2025-04-16. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About WASP-131 b
Is WASP-131 b habitable?
No — WASP-131 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is WASP-131 b?
WASP-131 b is about 653 light-years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 11,485,760 years to get there.
How big is WASP-131 b compared to Earth?
WASP-131 b has 13.74 times the radius of Earth and about 86.8 times its mass.
How long is a year on WASP-131 b?
One orbit around WASP-131 takes 5.3 Earth days — short enough that 69 of its years would fit into one Earth year.
Explore WASP-131 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.
