The star
The star
WASP-72
- Type
- F7
- Surface
- ≈ 6,250 K
- Size
- 2.18 × the Sun
- Mass
- 2.78 × the Sun
- Brightness
- 5.3 × the Sun
- Habitable zone
- 1.68–3.91 AU
The planets
WASP-72
WASP-72 b
- Year
- 2.22 days
- Distance from star
- 0.0371 AU
- Mass
- 2.3 Jupiters
- Size
- 14 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 2210 K (+1937 °C)
- Found
- 2012, transit (SuperWASP)
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
The shadow
The planet passes in front of its star and dims it by a fraction of a percent, every orbit. The dip gives the planet's size and year.
Sources
- 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.
- Position: HYG Database v4.1 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Habitable zone: a simple estimate from the star's brightness (√L × 0.95 to 1.67 AU), shown as a guide.