HD 87883 b
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
HD 87883 b is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star HD 87883, located approximately 59.7 light-years (18.29 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2009 by Lick Observatory using the Radial Velocity detection technique (measuring periodic Doppler reflex motion in the host star's spectrum), this world measures 12.7 Earth radii (1.13 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 2005.497 Earth masses (6.31 Jupiter masses). Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 5.4 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 12.43 g⊕ (121.9 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 140.6 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around HD 87883, HD 87883 b completes one full revolution every 3006 Earth days (8.23Julian years) at a semi-major axis of 3.77 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 13.6 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). The planet follows a highly eccentric trajectory (e = 0.72, swinging from 1.0556 AU at periapsis out to 6.4844 AU at apoapsis), pointing to past dynamical scattering or secular gravitational perturbations.
❄️ Thermal Regime (Cryogenic Zone): With an equilibrium temperature of 111 K (-162°C / -260°F) and an incident flux of 0.02 S⊕ (~32 W/m²), surface water and volatile species on HD 87883 b would remain locked in cryogenic ice phases unless warmed by subsurface tidal or radiogenic heating.
The host star HD 87883 is classified as an orange K-type star of spectral type K0 with an effective photospheric temperature of 4,980 K, a radius of 0.7986 R☉, a mass of 0.8 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.352 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 7.6 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.11 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, HD 87883 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 7.56 (accessible to binoculars and small amateur telescopes) in the Northern 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: Lick Observatory · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).
☀️ Host Star Telemetry
| Host Star Name | HD 87883 |
| Spectral Type | K0 |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 4,980 K |
| Stellar Radius | 0.7986 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 0.8000 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 0.352 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.110 dex |
| Stellar Age | 7.600 Gyr |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 7.560 · G: 7.272 |
| System Architecture | 1 Star, 1 Planet |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | 3.770000 AU |
| Orbital Period | 3006 days |
| Mean Orbital Velocity | 13.6 km/s |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | 0.72000 |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | 16.8000° |
| Mean Bulk Density | 5.4 g/cm³ (140.6 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | 0.0238 S⊕ (~32 W/m²) |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 59.700 LY (18.291 pc) |