Type of Star:

Spectral Class:

Distance:

Luminosity:

Mass:

Surface Temperature:

Yellow Dwarf

K0V

59 Lightyears

0,75 L

0,79 Solar Masses

5.100 K

Mass:

Orbital Radius:

Orbital Period:

Temperature:

Eccentricity:

3,3 Jupiter Masses

2,5 AU

4,4 years

-140°C

0,3537

Sun

14 Herculis b with its large, icy moon

Of all the extrasolar planets discovered so far, this one has the largest distance to its parent star. It is also one of the coldest. 14 Herculis is smaller than our sun, emitting only 75% of its light. Even though 14 Herculis b has half the orbital radius of Jupiter, it is warmed only to -140°C. Ice crystals in the upper cloud layers may give it a blueish colour, similar to Neptune.

But 14 Herculis b is more than thrice as massive than Jupiter, and this has drastic implications for its immediate environment. Such a massive planet may have a variety of large, even Earth-sized moons, considerably rich in volatiles and water. Heated by tidal friction and a thick, absorbing atmosphere, this moon may be covered by oceans of liquid water, possibly hundreds of miles deep.

The icecold ocean of 14 Herculis b