bet Pic c
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
bet Pic c is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star bet Pic, located approximately 64.4 light-years (19.74 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2019 by La Silla Observatory using the Radial Velocity detection technique (measuring periodic Doppler reflex motion in the host star's spectrum), this world measures 12.5 Earth radii (1.12 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 2765.107 Earth masses (8.7 Jupiter masses). Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 7.81 g/cm³ (an iron-enriched, high-compression rocky core), a surface gravity of 17.7 g⊕ (173.58 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 166.4 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around bet Pic, bet Pic c completes one full revolution every 1202 Earth days (3.29Julian years) at a semi-major axis of 2.7 AU (corresponding to the middle-system regime between Mars at 1.52 AU and Jupiter at 5.20 AU). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 24.4 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). The planet follows a highly eccentric trajectory (e = 0.307, swinging from 1.8711 AU at periapsis out to 3.5289 AU at apoapsis), pointing to past dynamical scattering or secular gravitational perturbations.
⚠️ Thermal Regime (Irradiated / Hot Zone): At an equilibrium temperature of 1250 K (+977°C / +1791°F) and receiving 1.23 S⊕ (~1,675 W/m²), bet Pic c orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.
The host star bet Pic is classified as a luminous A-type star of spectral type A6 V with an effective photospheric temperature of 8,039 K, a radius of 1.5442 R☉, a mass of 1.789 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 8.935 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 0.023 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.21 dex (metal-poor relative to the Sun). From Earth, bet Pic shines at apparent V-band magnitude 3.85 (visible to the unaided human eye under dark skies) in the Southern celestial hemisphere. The bet Pic system is a multi-planet architecture hosting 3 confirmed worlds, with bet Pic c sharing its stellar neighborhood alongside bet Pic b, bet Pic d.
Methodology: Computed using the Schulze-Makuch et al. (2011) weighted metric comparing physical interior (radius, estimated density) and surface thermal regime (escape velocity, equilibrium temperature).
Discovery Facility: La Silla Observatory · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).
☀️ Host Star Telemetry
| Host Star Name | bet Pic |
| Spectral Type | A6 V |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 8,039 K |
| Stellar Radius | 1.5442 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 1.7890 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 8.935 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | -0.210 dex |
| Stellar Age | 0.023 Gyr |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 3.850 · G: 3.820 |
| System Architecture | 1 Star, 3 Planets |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | 2.700000 AU |
| Orbital Period | 1202 days |
| Mean Orbital Velocity | 24.4 km/s |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | 0.30700 |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | 88.9300° |
| Mean Bulk Density | 7.81 g/cm³ (166.4 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | 1.2305 S⊕ (~1,675 W/m²) |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 64.400 LY (19.744 pc) |