Exoplanet · gas giant
HIP 12961 b
HIP 12961 b is a gas giant orbiting the star Koeia. Its year lasts 57.4 Earth days. It was discovered in 2010 by the Radial Velocity method.
| Host star | Koeia |
|---|---|
| Distance | 76.2 light-years (23.4 pc) |
| Orbital period | 57.4 days |
| Orbital radius | 0.25 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.170 |
| Radius | 13.2 R⊕ · 1.18 R♃ |
| Mass (minimum) | 114 M⊕ · 0.36 M♃ |
| Density | 0.273 g/cm³ |
| Equilibrium temperature | 303 K (30 °C) |
| Stellar flux received | 1.59 × Earth |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery year | 2010 |
| Discovered by | La Silla Observatory |
Habitable zone
At the edge of the habitable zone (within the optimistic limits): liquid water would be possible only with a favourable atmosphere.
Its star in the sky
In the planet's sky its star is a disc 1.4° across: 2.6 times the Sun as we see it from Earth.
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.25. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 67° N. South of latitude 67° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in October, the best time to observe it.
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 1950. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 1.4 million years.
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, PSCompPars. Its look in the simulation is a rendering based on the measured radius, mass and temperature.