WASP-87 b
WASP-87 b is a hot Jupiter orbiting WASP-87 in the constellation Centaurus. It lies about 973 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2016 using the transit method.
How Big Is WASP-87 b?
WASP-87 b has a radius of 15.52 times that of Earth, or 1.39 times the radius of Jupiter. Its mass is 693 times that of Earth.
Is WASP-87 b in the Habitable Zone?
WASP-87 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of WASP-87. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of WASP-87: 1.461–3.394 AU (conservative: 1.850–3.218 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-87 b — one full orbit around WASP-87 — lasts just 40.4 hours, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year. It orbits at an average distance of 0.029 AU — closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun.
How Was WASP-87 b Discovered?
WASP-87 b was discovered in 2016 using the transit method, with observations from Anglo-Australian Telescope.
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-87 b?
WASP-87 b is 973.2 light-years (298.4 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1053. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 17,128,320 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-87 b scores 0.06, ranking #5,167 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: WASP-87
WASP-87 b belongs to a system of 2 stars; it orbits WASP-87.
WASP-87
- Surface temperature
- 6,450 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.20 M☉
- Radius
- 1.63 R☉
Planetary System
WASP-87 b is the only planet known to orbit WASP-87 so far.
WASP-87 b — Complete Data
| Radius | 15.524 Earth radii (1.385 Jupiter radii) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 692.87 Earth masses (2.180 Jupiter masses) |
| Orbital period | 1.68 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.029 AU |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.06 |
| Distance from Earth | 973.2 light-years (298.4 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Discovery method | Transit |
| Discovery facility | Anglo-Australian Telescope |
| Discovery year | 2016 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2019-06-24. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About WASP-87 b
Is WASP-87 b habitable?
No — WASP-87 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is WASP-87 b?
WASP-87 b is about 973 light-years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 17,128,320 years to get there.
How big is WASP-87 b compared to Earth?
WASP-87 b has 15.52 times the radius of Earth and about 693 times its mass.
How long is a year on WASP-87 b?
One orbit around WASP-87 takes 1.7 Earth days — short enough that 217 of its years would fit into one Earth year.
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