iot Dra c
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
iot Dra c is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star iot Dra, located approximately 102.2 light-years (31.33 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2021 by La Silla Observatory using the Radial Velocity detection technique (measuring periodic Doppler reflex motion in the host star's spectrum), this world measures 12.2 Earth radii (1.09 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 4958.123 Earth masses (15.6 Jupiter masses). Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 15.06 g/cm³ (an iron-enriched, high-compression rocky core), a surface gravity of 33.31 g⊕ (326.66 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 225.5 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around iot Dra, iot Dra c completes one full revolution every 25000 Earth days (68.45Julian years) at a semi-major axis of 19.4 AU (a wide outer-system orbit beyond Jupiter's 5.20 AU distance in our Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 8.4 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). The planet follows a highly eccentric trajectory (e = 0.455, swinging from 10.573 AU at periapsis out to 28.227 AU at apoapsis), pointing to past dynamical scattering or secular gravitational perturbations.
❄️ Thermal Regime (Cryogenic Zone): With an equilibrium temperature of 169 K (-104°C / -155°F) and an incident flux of 0.14 S⊕ (~191 W/m²), surface water and volatile species on iot Dra c would remain locked in cryogenic ice phases unless warmed by subsurface tidal or radiogenic heating.
The host star iot Dra is classified as an orange K-type star of spectral type K2 III with an effective photospheric temperature of 4,504 K, a radius of 11.79 R☉, a mass of 1.54 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 51.323 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 2.65 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.03 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, iot Dra shines at apparent V-band magnitude 3.297 (visible to the unaided human eye under dark skies) in the Northern celestial hemisphere. The iot Dra system is a multi-planet architecture hosting 2 confirmed worlds, with iot Dra c sharing its stellar neighborhood alongside iot Dra 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: La Silla Observatory · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).
☀️ Host Star Telemetry
| Host Star Name | iot Dra |
| Spectral Type | K2 III |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 4,504 K |
| Stellar Radius | 11.7900 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 1.5400 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 51.323 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.030 dex |
| Stellar Age | 2.650 Gyr |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 3.297 · G: 2.968 |
| System Architecture | 1 Star, 2 Planets |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | 19.400000 AU |
| Orbital Period | 25000 days |
| Mean Orbital Velocity | 8.4 km/s |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | 0.45500 |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | 86.0000° |
| Mean Bulk Density | 15.06 g/cm³ (225.5 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | 0.1402 S⊕ (~191 W/m²) |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 102.200 LY (31.328 pc) |