WASP-43 b
WASP-43 b is a hot Jupiter orbiting WASP-43 in the constellation Sextans. It lies about 283 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2011 using the transit method.
How Big Is WASP-43 b?
WASP-43 b has a radius of 10.42 times that of Earth, or 0.93 times the radius of Jupiter. Its mass is 566 times that of Earth, giving it a density of 2.94 g/cm³ — between that of rocky and gaseous planets.
Is WASP-43 b in the Habitable Zone?
WASP-43 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of WASP-43. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of WASP-43: 0.279–0.693 AU (conservative: 0.354–0.657 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-43 b — one full orbit around WASP-43 — lasts just 19.5 hours, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year. It orbits at an average distance of 0.014 AU — closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun.
How Was WASP-43 b Discovered?
WASP-43 b was discovered in 2011 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-43 b?
WASP-43 b is 282.9 light-years (86.7 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1744. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 4,979,040 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-43 b scores 0.08, ranking #4,573 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: WASP-43
WASP-43
- Surface temperature
- 4,400 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.58 M☉
- Radius
- 0.60 R☉
Planetary System
WASP-43 b is the only planet known to orbit WASP-43 so far.
WASP-43 b — Complete Data
| Radius | 10.424 Earth radii (0.930 Jupiter radii) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 565.71 Earth masses (1.780 Jupiter masses) |
| Density | 2.94 g/cm³ (Earth: 5.51) |
| Orbital period | 0.81 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.014 AU |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.08 |
| Distance from Earth | 282.9 light-years (86.7 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Sextans |
| Discovery method | Transit |
| Discovery facility | SuperWASP |
| Discovery year | 2011 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2014-05-14. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About WASP-43 b
Is WASP-43 b habitable?
No — WASP-43 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is WASP-43 b?
WASP-43 b is about 283 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sextans. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 4,979,040 years to get there.
How big is WASP-43 b compared to Earth?
WASP-43 b has 10.42 times the radius of Earth and about 566 times its mass.
How long is a year on WASP-43 b?
One orbit around WASP-43 takes 0.8 Earth days — short enough that 449 of its years would fit into one Earth year.
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