HR 8799 c

Planet· orbits the Sun

HR 8799 c — a young giant (~7-10 Jupiter masses) imaged at ~38 AU, on a ~190-year orbit. Water and methane have been detected in its glowing atmosphere by spectroscopy of the direct-image light. Size and mass are model estimates, so no density is quoted.

Open in 3D viewSee HR 8799 c in the live, interactive 3D map

Key facts

Mass
1.79 × 10²⁸ kg
9.44 M♃ (3,000 M⊕)
Year
189 Earth years
69,000 Earth days
Distance from HR 8799
38 AU

Science

Physical

Mass
1.79 × 10²⁸ kg · 9.44 M♃ (3,000 M⊕)
Radius
Not measured

Orbital

Semi-major axis
38 AU
Eccentricity
0.05
Inclination
0.00 °
Orbital period
188.91 years
Perihelion
36.1 AU
Aphelion
39.9 AU
Mean orbital velocity
5.99 km/s

Composition

Bulk composition
A young giant (~7–10 Jupiter masses) at ~38 AU. Spectra of its direct-image light reveal water and methane — chemistry read from an actual photograph of the planet. Self-luminous; true appearance unresolved.
Cloud appearance
Appearance based on NASA/JPL-Caltech's artist's concept. No spacecraft has imaged this world, so its real appearance is unknown — The banded clouds shown are a representation of its class, shown only in Vision mode; Realism shows a plain spectral colour.

Radiation & temperature

Insolation
0.00393 S⊕ · 1/254 of the sunlight Earth receives

Discovery & history

Method
Directly imaged
Name
Designated 'c' under the IAU planet-lettering convention; no IAU proper name has been assigned.

One of the three planets directly imaged around HR 8799 in 2008.

Images

Directly imaged only as a point of light beside HR 8799 — see the system view for the real Keck time-lapse and Hubble images that show all four planets. No telescope has resolved this planet's disk or surface.