WASP-23 b
WASP-23 b is a hot Jupiter orbiting WASP-23 in the constellation Puppis. It lies about 677 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2010 using the transit method.
How Big Is WASP-23 b?
WASP-23 b has a radius of 10.78 times that of Earth, or 0.96 times the radius of Jupiter. Its mass is 281 times that of Earth.
Is WASP-23 b in the Habitable Zone?
WASP-23 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of WASP-23. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of WASP-23: 0.473–1.136 AU (conservative: 0.599–1.077 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-23 b — one full orbit around WASP-23 — lasts 2.94 Earth days, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year. It orbits at an average distance of 0.038 AU — closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.06).
How Was WASP-23 b Discovered?
WASP-23 b was discovered in 2010 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-23 b?
WASP-23 b is 676.7 light-years (207.5 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1350. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 11,909,920 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-23 b scores 0.08, ranking #4,584 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: WASP-23
WASP-23
- Surface temperature
- 5,150 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.78 M☉
- Radius
- 0.77 R☉
Planetary System
WASP-23 b is the only planet known to orbit WASP-23 so far.
WASP-23 b — Complete Data
| Radius | 10.783 Earth radii (0.962 Jupiter radii) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 280.95 Earth masses (0.884 Jupiter masses) |
| Orbital period | 2.94 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.038 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.062 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.08 |
| Distance from Earth | 676.7 light-years (207.5 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Puppis |
| Discovery method | Transit |
| Discovery facility | SuperWASP |
| Discovery year | 2010 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2014-05-14. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About WASP-23 b
Is WASP-23 b habitable?
No — WASP-23 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is WASP-23 b?
WASP-23 b is about 677 light-years from Earth in the constellation Puppis. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 11,909,920 years to get there.
How big is WASP-23 b compared to Earth?
WASP-23 b has 10.78 times the radius of Earth and about 281 times its mass.
How long is a year on WASP-23 b?
One orbit around WASP-23 takes 2.9 Earth days — short enough that 124 of its years would fit into one Earth year.
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