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1 known planet · 319.9 light years

b Cen A

b Cen A is a star (B2.5 V) 319.9 light years away, with 1 confirmed planet. Distances and orbital speeds are to scale; the star and planets are enlarged so you can see them.

Day 0
habitable zone (estimate)planet orbits

Green band: where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. Drag to turn the system, pinch or scroll to zoom.

The star

The star

b Cen A

Type
B2.5 V
Mass
5.50 × the Sun

The planets

b Cen A

b Cen AB b

Year
4900.8 years
Distance from star
556 AU
Mass
11 Jupiters
Size
12 × Earth
Found
2021, imaging (Paranal Observatory)
Outside the habitable zone

Masses found by the wobble method are minimums, because the orbit's tilt is unknown. Temperatures are equilibrium estimates for a bare planet, before any atmosphere.

How we know

A direct picture

The star's glare is blocked or subtracted, leaving the planet's own faint light as a dot that moves along its orbit over the years.

Sources

  1. Planet and star parameters: NASA Exoplanet Archive, Planetary Systems Composite Parameters, retrieved 1 Nov 2026. This research has made use of the NASA Exoplanet Archive, which is operated by the California Institute of Technology, under contract with NASA under the Exoplanet Exploration Program.
  2. Position: HYG Database v4.1 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
  3. Habitable zone: a simple estimate from the star's brightness (√L × 0.95 to 1.67 AU), shown as a guide.
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