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Epic exoplanet 53 EP

GJ 15 A b

RA 4.6127° · Dec 44.0247° · exoplanet

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Score breakdown

· 6 badges
53 pts · Epic
Epic 78 pts → Anomaly
  • Nearby (<25 ly) +12
  • Two suns in its sky +12
  • Disputed — it may not be there at all +10
  • Super-Earth +8
  • Multi-planet system +6
  • Confirmed exoplanet +5
Total score 53

25 more points to reach Anomaly.

Badges

  • Confirmed exoplanet · +5
  • Nearby (<25 ly) · +12
  • Super-Earth · +8
  • Multi-planet system · +6
  • Two suns in its sky · +12
  • Disputed — it may not be there at all · +10

Trivia

What it actually is

  • Hugging its star. It orbits closer to its star than Mercury does to the Sun, completing a lap in less time than Mercury takes.
  • What it is made of. Its density says rock, though lighter than Earth's mix: probably less iron, or a thick shell of water and ice over the top.
  • Crowded system. One of at least 2 planets orbiting its star.

Sense of scale

  • In perspective. Inside our stellar backyard: every radio broadcast humanity has ever made has already swept past it.

Find it in the sky

  • How to spot it. At magnitude 8.1 it is just past naked-eye reach — ordinary binoculars will pull it in.
  • Northern sky. It rides the northern half of the sky — an easier target the further north you are.
  • Best time of year. It stands highest in the middle of the night around September — that's when to go looking.

Could we get there?

  • Verdict. A multi-generation starship could one day attempt the crossing.

Properties

controversial
yes
density gcc
4.47
diameter km
19772.11
discovery facility
W. M. Keck Observatory
discovery method
Radial Velocity
discovery year
2014
dist ly
11.6186
eccentricity
0.094
eq temp k
550
host star teff
3607
insolation
4.2691
mag
8.09
mass earth
3.03
multi star system
yes
name
GJ 15 A b
orbital period days
11.4407
radius earth
1.55
semi major au
0.072
spect
M1
sys num planets
2
sys num stars
2

Nearby objects

About GJ 15 A b

GJ 15 A b is an epic exoplanet. It lies about 11.6 light-years from Earth, shines at apparent magnitude 8.09, has spectral type M1 and has an equilibrium temperature near 550 K.

It orbits closer to its star than Mercury does to the Sun, completing a lap in less time than Mercury takes.

How to see it

At apparent magnitude 8.09, it is an easy target for binoculars.

Like any astronomical target, GJ 15 A b is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.

Why GJ 15 A b is an epic exoplanet

GJ 15 A b scores 53 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the epic tier. Another 25 points would lift it into a rarer tier.

That score comes from 6 science badges — Confirmed exoplanet, Nearby (<25 ly), Super-Earth, Multi-planet system, Two suns in its sky and Disputed — it may not be there at all — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.