HR 2562 b
HR 2562 b
confirmed planet • updated: 2016-09-06
HR 2562 b was spotted directly by a telescope — not by watching its star wobble or dim, but by taking a picture of it. It orbits a star called HR 2562, located about 34 light-years away.
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 about 30 times the mass of Jupiter and roughly 1.1 times Jupiter’s size. It’s very hot — around 1200 degrees Celsius — likely because it’s young and still cooling. It orbits at about 20 times Earth’s distance from the Sun, but we don’t yet know how long its full orbit takes or how elliptical it is.
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.
HR 2562 b was first reported in 2016 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 20.300 AU.
Eccentricity is not provided here; many catalogs omit it when the solution is underconstrained.
The archive reports a mass scale of 30.0 MJ.
A catalog radius is also listed, which (together with mass) helps constrain density and interior structure.
Why “m·sin i” shows up on RV planets
HR 2562 b orbits HR 2562.
The star is classified as F5 V, which is a shorthand for temperature and color. The system is about 110.9 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: 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.