HR 8799 b
HR 8799 b
confirmed planet • updated: 2014-05-14
HR 8799 b was one of the first planets ever seen directly with a telescope — not by watching its star wobble, but by taking a picture of it. It orbits a young, bright star called HR 8799.
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.
HR 8799 b is a massive planet, about 7 times heavier than Jupiter and 13 times wider than Earth. It orbits very far from its star — roughly 68 times farther than Earth is from the Sun — and takes about 170,000 Earth days (around 465 years) to complete one orbit. Because it was imaged directly, we know its mass and size more directly than many other exoplanets, though some details like its orbit’s exact shape are not yet measured.
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 8799 b was first reported in 2008 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 an orbital period of about 170000.00 days, a semi-major axis near 68.000 AU.
Eccentricity is not provided here; many catalogs omit it when the solution is underconstrained. Because this is a multi‑planet system, stability is ultimately tested with dynamical (N‑body) fits; catalogs can update as models improve.
The archive reports a mass scale of 7.0 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 8799 b orbits HR 8799.
The star is classified as A5 V, which is a shorthand for temperature and color. The system is about 134.5 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: catalog equilibrium temperature, 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.