WASP-162 b
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
WASP-162 b is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star WASP-162, located approximately 1013.8 light-years (310.84 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2018 by SuperWASP-South using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.8571% across the stellar disk), this world measures 11.209 Earth radii (1 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 1652.716 Earth masses (5.2 Jupiter masses). Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 6.47 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 13.15 g⊕ (128.96 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 135.8 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around WASP-162, WASP-162 b completes one full revolution every 9.625 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.0871 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 98.5 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). The planet follows a highly eccentric trajectory (e = 0.434, swinging from 0.0493 AU at periapsis out to 0.1249 AU at apoapsis), pointing to past dynamical scattering or secular gravitational perturbations.
⚠️ Thermal Regime (Irradiated / Hot Zone): At an equilibrium temperature of 910 K (+637°C / +1179°F) and receiving 121.92 S⊕ (~165,930 W/m²), WASP-162 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.
The host star WASP-162 is classified as an orange K-type star of spectral type K0 with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,300 K, a radius of 1.11 R☉, a mass of 0.95 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.872 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 12.97 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.28 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, WASP-162 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 12.213 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Southern 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: SuperWASP-South · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).
☀️ Host Star Telemetry
| Host Star Name | WASP-162 |
| Spectral Type | K0 |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 5,300 K |
| Stellar Radius | 1.1100 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 0.9500 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 0.872 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.280 dex |
| Stellar Age | 12.970 Gyr |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 12.213 · G: 12.065 |
| System Architecture | 1 Star, 1 Planet |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | 0.087100 AU |
| Orbital Period | 9.625 days |
| Mean Orbital Velocity | 98.5 km/s |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | 0.43400 |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | 89.3000° |
| Mean Bulk Density | 6.47 g/cm³ (135.8 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | 121.9180 S⊕ (~165,930 W/m²) |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 1013.800 LY (310.841 pc) |