TAP 26 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

TAP 26 b is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star TAP 26, located approximately 396 light-years (121.4 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2017 by Multiple Facilities using the Radial Velocity detection technique (measuring periodic Doppler reflex motion in the host star's spectrum), this world measures 13.5 Earth radii (1.2 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 527.598 Earth masses (1.66 Jupiter masses). Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 1.18 g/cm³ (a low bulk density dominated by an extended hydrogen-helium gaseous envelope), a surface gravity of 2.89 g⊕ (28.34 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 69.9 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around TAP 26, TAP 26 b completes one full revolution every 10.79 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.0968 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 97.6 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s).

⚠️ Thermal Regime (Irradiated / Hot Zone): At an equilibrium temperature of 775 K (+502°C / +936°F) and receiving 60.01 S⊕ (~81,678 W/m²), TAP 26 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star TAP 26 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 4,620 K, a radius of 1.17 R☉, a mass of 1.04 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.56 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 0.017 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.199 dex (metal-poor relative to the Sun). From Earth, TAP 26 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 12.5 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

Discovery Facility: Multiple Facilities · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).