WASP-8 c
WASP-8 c is a cold gas giant orbiting WASP-8 in the constellation Sculptor. It lies about 293 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2013 using the radial velocity method.
Is WASP-8 c in the Habitable Zone?
WASP-8 c orbits beyond the outer edge of the habitable zone of WASP-8. At that distance, any surface water would almost certainly be frozen.
Habitable zone of WASP-8: 0.734–1.737 AU (conservative: 0.929–1.647 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-8 c — one full orbit around WASP-8 — lasts 4,323.0 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 5.280 AU.
How Was WASP-8 c Discovered?
WASP-8 c was discovered in 2013 using the radial velocity method, with observations from SuperWASP.
The radial velocity method measures the subtle wobble of a star caused by the gravitational pull of an orbiting planet, visible as periodic shifts in the star's light spectrum. The size of the wobble reveals the planet's minimum mass.
How Far Away Is WASP-8 c?
WASP-8 c is 293.4 light-years (90.0 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1733. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 5,163,840 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-8 c scores 0.10, ranking #4,415 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: WASP-8
WASP-8 c belongs to a system of 2 stars; it orbits WASP-8.
WASP-8
- Surface temperature
- 5,600 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.34 M☉
- Radius
- 1.03 R☉
The WASP-8 Planetary System
WASP-8 c is one of 2 known planets in the WASP-8 system. Its siblings:
- WASP-8 b (Hot Jupiter)
WASP-8 c — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 3,003.37 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 4,323.00 days |
| Orbital distance | 5.280 AU |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.10 |
| Distance from Earth | 293.4 light-years (90.0 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | SuperWASP |
| Discovery year | 2013 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2014-05-14. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About WASP-8 c
Is WASP-8 c habitable?
No — WASP-8 c orbits outside the habitable zone of WASP-8 and is likely too cold for liquid water on its surface.
How far away is WASP-8 c?
WASP-8 c is about 293 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sculptor. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 5,163,840 years to get there.
How long is a year on WASP-8 c?
One orbit around WASP-8 takes 4,323.0 Earth days.
Explore WASP-8 c in the app
Browse, filter and compare 6,000+ exoplanets on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch — with habitable-zone views, widgets and offline data.
