HD 48265 c
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
HD 48265 c is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star HD 48265, located approximately 295.3 light-years (90.55 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2026 by Las Campanas Observatory using the Radial Velocity detection technique (measuring periodic Doppler reflex motion in the host star's spectrum), this world measures 12.9 Earth radii (1.15 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 1414.336 Earth masses (4.45 Jupiter masses). Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 3.63 g/cm³ (an intermediate density indicative of a deep water-ice mantle or dense volatile envelope), a surface gravity of 8.5 g⊕ (83.36 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 117.1 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around HD 48265, HD 48265 c completes one full revolution every 10418 Earth days (28.52Julian years) at a semi-major axis of 10.4 AU (a wide outer-system orbit beyond Jupiter's 5.20 AU distance in our Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 10.9 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). The planet follows a highly eccentric trajectory (e = 0.41, swinging from 6.136 AU at periapsis out to 14.664 AU at apoapsis), pointing to past dynamical scattering or secular gravitational perturbations.
❄️ Thermal Regime (Cryogenic Zone): With an equilibrium temperature of 124 K (-149°C / -236°F) and an incident flux of 0.04 S⊕ (~48 W/m²), surface water and volatile species on HD 48265 c would remain locked in cryogenic ice phases unless warmed by subsurface tidal or radiogenic heating.
The host star HD 48265 is classified as a solar-type yellow star of spectral type G5 IV/V with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,805 K, a radius of 2.05 R☉, a mass of 1.38 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 4.282 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 4.201 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.39 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, HD 48265 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 8.05 (accessible to binoculars and small amateur telescopes) in the Southern celestial hemisphere. The HD 48265 system is a multi-planet architecture hosting 2 confirmed worlds, with HD 48265 c sharing its stellar neighborhood alongside HD 48265 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: Las Campanas Observatory · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).
☀️ Host Star Telemetry
| Host Star Name | HD 48265 |
| Spectral Type | G5 IV/V |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 5,805 K |
| Stellar Radius | 2.0500 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 1.3800 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 4.282 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.390 dex |
| Stellar Age | 4.201 Gyr |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 8.050 · G: 7.879 |
| System Architecture | 1 Star, 2 Planets |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | 10.400000 AU |
| Orbital Period | 10418 days |
| Mean Orbital Velocity | 10.9 km/s |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | 0.41000 |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | 89.0000° |
| Mean Bulk Density | 3.63 g/cm³ (117.1 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | 0.0355 S⊕ (~48 W/m²) |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 295.300 LY (90.545 pc) |