HIP 78530 b
HIP 78530 b
confirmed planet • updated: 2015-04-01
HIP 78530 b orbits the star HIP 78530, a hot blue-white star. Scientists found it using direct imaging — taking a picture of the planet itself — with the Gemini Observatory in 2010.
This page summarizes a catalog entry. If a measurement is missing, it is not shown or guessed. Some values can differ slightly between studies; when that happens, we describe the range rather than picking a favorite without evidence.
Scientific context
Scientific context: This profile layers interpretation on top of archival measurements. Modeled bands appear where direct detections (like spectra or transits) are not listed.
What we can’t claim: surface conditions, biology, or breathable atmosphere without direct spectra.
This object is very massive — about 23 times the mass of Jupiter — and orbits at a distance of roughly 740 times Earth’s distance from the Sun. Because it was found by imaging, we don’t yet know its full orbit or how elliptical it is. Its estimated temperature is about 2700°C, which is very hot, likely due to its young age and internal heat.
Glossary (plain English)
- AU: the average Earth–Sun distance.
- Semi-major axis: the planet’s average distance from its star.
- Eccentricity: how oval the orbit is (0 = circle).
- Radial velocity: finding a planet by measuring a star’s tiny “wobble.”
- m·sin i: a minimum mass estimate; the true mass can be higher if the orbit is tilted.
- Equilibrium temperature: a rough estimate from starlight alone, not a surface reading.
HIP 78530 b was first reported in 2010 using the Imaging method. The discovery is linked to observations from Gemini Observatory.
Direct imaging tries to separate faint planetary light from the glare of the host star. It works best for young, warm planets far from their stars.
The catalog lists a semi-major axis near 740.000 AU.
Eccentricity is not provided here; many catalogs omit it when the solution is underconstrained.
The archive reports a mass scale of 23.0 MJ.
A rough radius estimate is shown for UI completeness, but it should not be treated as a measurement.
Why “m·sin i” shows up on RV planets
HIP 78530 b orbits HIP 78530. The star is classified as B9 V, which is a shorthand for temperature and color.
A temperature near 10500 K places it on the hotter side of the main sequence. The system is about 446.0 light‑years away.
Several key parameters are not present in this single catalog row. Missing fields don’t mean the science is unknown—only that this particular snapshot doesn’t carry the values.
In this case the most noticeable gaps are: radius, orbital period, eccentricity. As new observations arrive, archives often refresh these entries (and sometimes revise earlier numbers).
Scientists keep revisiting systems like this because each new instrument pass can tighten uncertainties: better timing improves the orbit, better spectra improves the star, and better follow‑up can confirm or refute competing solutions. Even when a planet is well‑established, refined stellar properties can shift the inferred planet size, temperature, and habitability context.