Luyten's Star b
Planet· orbits Luyten's Star
Luyten's Star b - a temperate super-Earth (minimum mass ~2.9 Earth) on an 18.6-day orbit within the star's habitable zone, and the destination of the 2017 METI radio message. Never imaged.
Open in 3D viewSee Luyten's Star b in the live, interactive 3D map
Key facts
Minimum mass
1.73 × 10²⁵ kg
2.89 M⊕
Year
18.65 Earth days
Distance from Luyten's Star
13,628,366 km
Science
Physical
- Minimum mass (m·sin i)
- 1.73 × 10²⁵ kg · 2.89 M⊕
- Radial-velocity detection measures m·sin i; the true mass depends on the unknown orbital inclination.
- Radius
- Not measured
- No transit — radius is a model estimate; true size unknown.
Orbital
- Semi-major axis
- 13,628,366 km
- From the NASA Exoplanet Archive (radial-velocity orbit)
- Eccentricity
- 0.1
- From the NASA Exoplanet Archive (radial-velocity orbit)
- Inclination
- 0.00 °
- From the NASA Exoplanet Archive (radial-velocity orbit)
- Orbital period
- 18.6 days
- From the NASA Exoplanet Archive (radial-velocity orbit)
- Perihelion
- 12,265,529 km
- Computed from the orbital elements
- Aphelion
- 0.1 AU
- Computed from the orbital elements
- Mean orbital velocity
- 53.1 km/s
- Computed from the orbital elements
Composition
- Bulk composition
- Presumed rocky (minimum mass ~2.9 Earth), in the habitable zone; never imaged.
- Surface appearance
- Appearance based on ESO/M. Kornmesser's artist's concept. No spacecraft has imaged this world, so its real appearance is unknown — The surface shown is an artistic representation, shown only in Visual mode; Realism shows a plain spectral colour.
Radiation & temperature
- Insolation
- 1.06 S⊕ · 1.06× the sunlight Earth receives
- Computed from Luyten's Star's luminosity and the orbital distance (inverse-square; Earth's sunlight = 1).
- Equilibrium temperature
- 292 K (19 °C)
- Computed model value — in the temperate zone, but not measured.
Discovery & history
- Method
- Radial-velocity detection (stellar wobble)
- Name
- Designated 'b' as the second planet found around its star, following the IAU convention of lettering planets in discovery order from 'b'.
The temperate outer planet found by HARPS in 2017, and the target of a deliberate interstellar radio transmission that year.
Images
No official imagery available — this object has never been visited and no officially-licensed depiction exists.