DENIS-P J082303.1-491201 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

DENIS-P J082303.1-491201 b is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star DENIS-P J082303.1-491201, located approximately 67.7 light-years (20.77 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2013 by Paranal Observatory using the Astrometry detection technique, this world measures 11.9 Earth radii (1.06 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 9057.77 Earth masses (28.5 Jupiter masses). Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 29.64 g/cm³ (an iron-enriched, high-compression rocky core), a surface gravity of 63.96 g⊕ (627.23 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 308.6 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around DENIS-P J082303.1-491201, DENIS-P J082303.1-491201 b completes one full revolution every 246.36 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.36 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 15.9 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). The planet follows a highly eccentric trajectory (e = 0.345, swinging from 0.2358 AU at periapsis out to 0.4842 AU at apoapsis), pointing to past dynamical scattering or secular gravitational perturbations.

☁️ Atmospheric Regime (Volatile / Gas Envelope): With a radius of 11.900 R⊕, DENIS-P J082303.1-491201 b exceeds the empirical ~1.8–2.2 R⊕ Fulton radius valley threshold, indicating a substantial hydrogen-helium or supercritical volatile envelope without a conventional solid terrestrial surface.

The host star DENIS-P J082303.1-491201 is classified as an ultra-cool L-dwarf of spectral type L1.5 with a mass of 0.075 M☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 1 Gyr. From Earth, DENIS-P J082303.1-491201 shines at apparent Gaia G-band magnitude 18.558 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Southern celestial hemisphere.

Discovery Facility: Paranal Observatory · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).