ups And b
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
ups And b is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star ups And, located approximately 43.7 light-years (13.41 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 1996 by Lick Observatory using the Radial Velocity detection technique (measuring periodic Doppler reflex motion in the host star's spectrum), this world measures 14 Earth radii (1.25 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 218.531 Earth masses (0.69 Jupiter masses). Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 0.44 g/cm³ (a low bulk density dominated by an extended hydrogen-helium gaseous envelope), a surface gravity of 1.11 g⊕ (10.89 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 44.2 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around ups And, ups And b completes one full revolution every 4.617 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.059222 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 139.5 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). With a near-circular eccentricity of e = 0.0215 (ranging from 0.0579 AU at periapsis to 0.0605 AU at apoapsis), the planet experiences minimal orbital distance variation.
⚠️ Thermal Regime (Irradiated / Hot Zone): At an equilibrium temperature of 1524 K (+1251°C / +2284°F) and receiving 955.98 S⊕ (~1,301,094 W/m²), ups And b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.
The host star ups And is classified as a warm F-type star of spectral type F8 V with an effective photospheric temperature of 6,157 K, a radius of 1.56 R☉, a mass of 1.3 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 3.138 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 5 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.101 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, ups And shines at apparent V-band magnitude 4.096 (visible to the unaided human eye under dark skies) in the Northern celestial hemisphere. The ups And system is a multi-planet architecture hosting 3 confirmed worlds, with ups And b sharing its stellar neighborhood alongside ups And c, ups And d.
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 | ups And |
| Spectral Type | F8 V |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 6,157 K |
| Stellar Radius | 1.5600 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 1.3000 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 3.138 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.101 dex |
| Stellar Age | 5.000 Gyr |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 4.096 · G: 3.987 |
| System Architecture | 2 Stars, 3 Planets |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | 0.059222 AU |
| Orbital Period | 4.617 days |
| Mean Orbital Velocity | 139.5 km/s |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | 0.02150 |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | — |
| Mean Bulk Density | 0.44 g/cm³ (44.2 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | 955.9835 S⊕ (~1,301,094 W/m²) |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 43.700 LY (13.405 pc) |