HD 141937 b
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
HD 141937 b is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star HD 141937, located approximately 108.8 light-years (33.36 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2002 by La Silla Observatory using the Radial Velocity detection technique (measuring periodic Doppler reflex motion in the host star's spectrum), this world measures 12.4 Earth radii (1.11 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 3591.461 Earth masses (11.3 Jupiter masses). Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 10.39 g/cm³ (an iron-enriched, high-compression rocky core), a surface gravity of 23.36 g⊕ (229.08 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 190.4 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around HD 141937, HD 141937 b completes one full revolution every 662.37 Earth days (1.81Julian years) at a semi-major axis of 1.54 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 25.3 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). The planet follows a highly eccentric trajectory (e = 0.46, swinging from 0.8316 AU at periapsis out to 2.2484 AU at apoapsis), pointing to past dynamical scattering or secular gravitational perturbations.
☁️ Atmospheric Regime (Volatile / Gas Envelope): With a radius of 12.400 R⊕, HD 141937 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 HD 141937 is classified as a solar-type yellow star of spectral type G1 V with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,870 K, a radius of 1.03 R☉, a mass of 1.09 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.13 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 2.32 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.12 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, HD 141937 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 7.25 (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 141937 |
| Spectral Type | G1 V |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 5,870 K |
| Stellar Radius | 1.0300 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 1.0900 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 1.13 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.120 dex |
| Stellar Age | 2.320 Gyr |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 7.250 · G: 7.091 |
| System Architecture | 1 Star, 1 Planet |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | 1.540000 AU |
| Orbital Period | 662.37 days |
| Mean Orbital Velocity | 25.3 km/s |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | 0.46000 |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | 90.0000° |
| Mean Bulk Density | 10.39 g/cm³ (190.4 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | 0.4436 S⊕ (~604 W/m²) |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 108.800 LY (33.362 pc) |