Tau Ceti f

Tau Ceti f
Exoplanet List of exoplanets

Parent star
Star Tau Ceti
Constellation Cetus
Right ascension (α) 01h 44m 05s
Declination (δ) −15° 56 15
Apparent magnitude (mV) 3.50
Distance11.905 ± 0.007 ly
(3.65 ± 0.002 pc)
Spectral type G8.5V
Mass (m) 0.783 ± 0.012 M
Radius (r) 0.793 ± 0.004 R
Temperature (T) 5344 ± 50 K
Metallicity [Fe/H] −0.55 ± 0.05
Age 5.8 Gyr
Orbital elements
Semi-major axis(a) 1.35 ± 0.1[1] AU
Eccentricity (e) 0.03 ± 0.3[1]
Orbital period(P) 642 ± 30[1] d
(1.76 y)
Mean anomaly (M) 91.67[1]°
Semi-amplitude (K) 0.58 [1] m/s
Physical characteristics
Minimum mass(m sin i)6.6[1] M
Discovery information
Discovery date 19 December 2012
Discoverer(s) Tuomi et al.
Discovery method Radial velocity
Discovery status Unconfirmed
Database references
Extrasolar Planets
Encyclopaedia
data
SIMBADdata
Exoplanet Archivedata
Open Exoplanet Cataloguedata

Tau Ceti f is an unconfirmed planet that may be orbiting the nearby Sun-like star Tau Ceti 11.905 light years from the Sun. It is the fifth planet from Tau Ceti in its system - the outermost planet of the system discovered as of 2012.

It is notable due to its predicted habitability and Earth-like properties, with an Earth Similarity Index of 0.71 and an orbit that places it in Tau Ceti's extended habitable zone.[2]

Discovery

As the other four planets of Tau Ceti, it was detected in 2012 by realizing statistical analyses of the data of the star's variations in radial velocity that were obtained using HIRES, AAPS, and HARPS.[1]

Characteristics

Due to the detection method used, few properties of the planet are known other than its orbit and mass.

It orbits Tau Ceti at a distance of 1.35 AU (near Mars's orbit in the Solar System) with an orbital period of 642 days and has a minimum mass of 6.6 Earth masses, which means it is a super-Earth.

Possible habitability

Assuming that Tau Ceti f is a terrestrial planet, it would likely be at least 2.3 times larger in size than the Earth. Assuming an Earth-like atmosphere, the surface temperature would be approximately −40°C (233 K). With a denser atmosphere able to produce a stronger greenhouse effect it could have a much higher temperature, between 0 °C and 50 °C, enough for complex life to exist.[2]

References

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