HD 80606

system

HD 80606 — a Sun-like star ~217 light-years away in Ursa Major, host to one of the most extreme orbits known: HD 80606 b swings from far out to a whisker off its star on a wildly elliptical (e=0.93) path, and is flash-heated by over 500°C in a matter of hours each pass. Descend to see its comet-like orbit.

Open in 3D viewSee HD 80606 in the live, interactive 3D map

Science

Classification

Type: Planetary system
Distance: ~217 light-years · its real distance from the Sun
Explore: Descend to see the star and its confirmed planets

How we know

Note: A real star system, shown at its measured position in the galaxy. Its star and confirmed planets — their measured sizes and how each was found — are on the cards inside; descend to explore them. Distances follow Gaia parallax; planet data follow the NASA Exoplanet Archive.

Discovery & history

Name: A Henry Draper Catalogue number; HD 80606 forms a wide binary with its near-twin HD 80607.

Found by radial velocity in 2001 and later seen to transit, HD 80606 b traces one of the most eccentric orbits of any known giant. Near closest approach it is blasted with starlight and its atmosphere heats explosively, then cools as it swings back out — a natural laboratory for planetary weather under extreme forcing.

Images

Artist's concept of HD 80606 b being flash-heated at the close point of its wildly eccentric orbit (JWST) — an artist's impression, not a photograph. — NASA / ESA / CSA / J. Olmsted (STScI) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons

Images from open archives · credit shown per image