WASP-162 b
WASP-162 b is a hot Jupiter orbiting the K0 star WASP-162 in the constellation Crater. It lies about 1,014 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2018 using the transit method.
How Big Is WASP-162 b?
WASP-162 b has a radius of 11.21 times that of Earth, or 1.00 times the radius of Jupiter. Its mass is 1,653 times that of Earth, giving it a density of 6.90 g/cm³ — comparable to rocky planets like Earth (5.51 g/cm³).
Is WASP-162 b in the Habitable Zone?
WASP-162 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of WASP-162. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of WASP-162: 0.720–1.722 AU (conservative: 0.913–1.633 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 ›
Temperature on WASP-162 b
The equilibrium temperature of WASP-162 b is about 910 K (637 °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 WASP-162 b — one full orbit around WASP-162 — lasts 9.62 Earth days, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year. It orbits at an average distance of 0.087 AU — closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical (eccentricity 0.43), swinging dramatically closer to and farther from its star.
How Was WASP-162 b Discovered?
WASP-162 b was discovered in 2018 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-162 b?
WASP-162 b is 1,013.8 light-years (310.8 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1013. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 17,842,880 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-162 b scores 0.08, ranking #4,575 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: WASP-162
WASP-162
- Spectral type
- K0
- Surface temperature
- 5,300 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.95 M☉
- Radius
- 1.11 R☉
- Age
- 13.0 billion years (Sun: 4.6)
Planetary System
WASP-162 b is the only planet known to orbit WASP-162 so far.
WASP-162 b — Complete Data
| Radius | 11.209 Earth radii (1.000 Jupiter radii) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 1,652.72 Earth masses (5.200 Jupiter masses) |
| Density | 6.90 g/cm³ (Earth: 5.51) |
| Orbital period | 9.62 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.087 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.434 |
| Equilibrium temperature | 910 K (637 °C) |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.08 |
| Distance from Earth | 1,013.8 light-years (310.8 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Crater |
| Discovery method | Transit |
| Discovery facility | SuperWASP-South |
| Discovery year | 2018 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-10-24. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About WASP-162 b
Is WASP-162 b habitable?
No — WASP-162 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is WASP-162 b?
WASP-162 b is about 1,014 light-years from Earth in the constellation Crater. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 17,842,880 years to get there.
How big is WASP-162 b compared to Earth?
WASP-162 b has 11.21 times the radius of Earth and about 1,653 times its mass.
How long is a year on WASP-162 b?
One orbit around WASP-162 takes 9.6 Earth days — short enough that 38 of its years would fit into one Earth year.
Explore WASP-162 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.
