HD 11506 d
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
HD 11506 d is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star HD 11506, located approximately 167.2 light-years (51.26 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2022 by Multiple Observatories using the Radial Velocity detection technique (measuring periodic Doppler reflex motion in the host star's spectrum), this world measures 12.3 Earth radii (1.1 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 4068.204 Earth masses (12.8 Jupiter masses). Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 12.05 g/cm³ (an iron-enriched, high-compression rocky core), a surface gravity of 26.89 g⊕ (263.7 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 203.4 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around HD 11506, HD 11506 d completes one full revolution every 26500 Earth days (72.55Julian years) at a semi-major axis of 18.2 AU (a wide outer-system orbit beyond Jupiter's 5.20 AU distance in our Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 7.5 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). The planet follows a highly eccentric trajectory (e = 0.29, swinging from 12.922 AU at periapsis out to 23.478 AU at apoapsis), pointing to past dynamical scattering or secular gravitational perturbations.
❄️ Thermal Regime (Cryogenic Zone): With an equilibrium temperature of 77 K (-196°C / -321°F) and an incident flux of 0.01 S⊕ (~9 W/m²), surface water and volatile species on HD 11506 d would remain locked in cryogenic ice phases unless warmed by subsurface tidal or radiogenic heating.
The host star HD 11506 is classified as a solar-type yellow star of spectral type G0 V with an effective photospheric temperature of 6,123 K, a radius of 1.24 R☉, a mass of 1.22 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.939 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 2.5 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.3 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, HD 11506 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 7.51 (accessible to binoculars and small amateur telescopes) in the Southern celestial hemisphere. The HD 11506 system is a multi-planet architecture hosting 3 confirmed worlds, with HD 11506 d sharing its stellar neighborhood alongside HD 11506 c, HD 11506 b.
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: Multiple Observatories · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).
☀️ Host Star Telemetry
| Host Star Name | HD 11506 |
| Spectral Type | G0 V |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 6,123 K |
| Stellar Radius | 1.2400 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 1.2200 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 1.939 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.300 dex |
| Stellar Age | 2.500 Gyr |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 7.510 · G: 7.374 |
| System Architecture | 1 Star, 3 Planets |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | 18.200000 AU |
| Orbital Period | 26500 days |
| Mean Orbital Velocity | 7.5 km/s |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | 0.29000 |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | 90.0000° |
| Mean Bulk Density | 12.05 g/cm³ (203.4 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | 0.0066 S⊕ (~9 W/m²) |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 167.200 LY (51.261 pc) |