WASP-170 b
WASP-170 b is a hot Jupiter orbiting WASP-170 in the constellation Pyxis. It lies about 997 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2018 using the transit method.
How Big Is WASP-170 b?
WASP-170 b has a radius of 12.29 times that of Earth, or 1.10 times the radius of Jupiter. Its mass is 509 times that of Earth, giving it a density of 1.60 g/cm³ — closer to gas planets like Jupiter (1.33 g/cm³).
Is WASP-170 b in the Habitable Zone?
WASP-170 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of WASP-170. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of WASP-170: 0.666–1.576 AU (conservative: 0.843–1.494 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-170 b
The equilibrium temperature of WASP-170 b is about 1,422 K (1,149 °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. It receives 680 times the stellar energy that Earth gets from the Sun.
Orbit and Year Length
A year on WASP-170 b — one full orbit around WASP-170 — lasts 2.34 Earth days, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year. It orbits at an average distance of 0.034 AU — closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun.
How Was WASP-170 b Discovered?
WASP-170 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-170 b?
WASP-170 b is 996.7 light-years (305.6 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1030. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 17,541,920 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-170 b scores 0.07, ranking #4,826 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: WASP-170
WASP-170
- Surface temperature
- 5,600 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.93 M☉
- Radius
- 0.94 R☉
- Luminosity
- 0.7700 L☉
Planetary System
WASP-170 b is the only planet known to orbit WASP-170 so far.
WASP-170 b — Complete Data
| Radius | 12.285 Earth radii (1.096 Jupiter radii) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 508.53 Earth masses (1.600 Jupiter masses) |
| Density | 1.60 g/cm³ (Earth: 5.51) |
| Orbital period | 2.34 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.034 AU |
| Equilibrium temperature | 1,422 K (1,149 °C) |
| Stellar irradiation | 680.00× Earth |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.07 |
| Distance from Earth | 996.7 light-years (305.6 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Pyxis |
| Discovery method | Transit |
| Discovery facility | SuperWASP-South |
| Discovery year | 2018 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2018-12-11. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About WASP-170 b
Is WASP-170 b habitable?
No — WASP-170 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is WASP-170 b?
WASP-170 b is about 997 light-years from Earth in the constellation Pyxis. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 17,541,920 years to get there.
How big is WASP-170 b compared to Earth?
WASP-170 b has 12.29 times the radius of Earth and about 509 times its mass.
How long is a year on WASP-170 b?
One orbit around WASP-170 takes 2.3 Earth days — short enough that 156 of its years would fit into one Earth year.
Explore WASP-170 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.
