HD 108341 b
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
HD 108341 b is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star HD 108341, located approximately 159.5 light-years (48.91 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2014 by La Silla Observatory using the Radial Velocity detection technique (measuring periodic Doppler reflex motion in the host star's spectrum), this world measures 13.3 Earth radii (1.19 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 715.114 Earth masses (2.25 Jupiter masses). Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 1.68 g/cm³ (a low bulk density dominated by an extended hydrogen-helium gaseous envelope), a surface gravity of 4.04 g⊕ (39.62 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 82 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around HD 108341, HD 108341 b completes one full revolution every 1129 Earth days (3.09Julian years) at a semi-major axis of 2 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 19.3 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). The planet follows a highly eccentric trajectory (e = 0.85, swinging from 0.3 AU at periapsis out to 3.7 AU at apoapsis), pointing to past dynamical scattering or secular gravitational perturbations.
❄️ Thermal Regime (Cryogenic Zone): With an equilibrium temperature of 155 K (-118°C / -180°F) and an incident flux of 0.11 S⊕ (~145 W/m²), surface water and volatile species on HD 108341 b would remain locked in cryogenic ice phases unless warmed by subsurface tidal or radiogenic heating.
The host star HD 108341 is classified as an orange K-type star of spectral type K2 V with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,122 K, a radius of 0.79 R☉, a mass of 0.843 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.385 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 4.9 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.04 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, HD 108341 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 9.38 (accessible to binoculars and small amateur telescopes) in the Southern celestial hemisphere.
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 | HD 108341 |
| Spectral Type | K2 V |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 5,122 K |
| Stellar Radius | 0.7900 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 0.8430 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 0.385 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.040 dex |
| Stellar Age | 4.900 Gyr |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 9.380 · G: 9.143 |
| System Architecture | 2 Stars, 1 Planet |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | 2.000000 AU |
| Orbital Period | 1129 days |
| Mean Orbital Velocity | 19.3 km/s |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | 0.85000 |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | 65.0000° |
| Mean Bulk Density | 1.68 g/cm³ (82 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | 0.1066 S⊕ (~145 W/m²) |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 159.500 LY (48.910 pc) |