kap And planetary system
kap And is a hot blue-white main-sequence star of spectral type B9 IV approximately 163 light-years from Earth (50.02 parsecs). It hosts 1 confirmed exoplanet.
Host star
- Name
- kap And
- Spectral type
- B9 IV
- Effective temperature
- 10,900 K
- Mass
- 2.60 M☉ (solar masses)
- Radius
- 2.31 R☉ (solar radii)
- Distance
- 50.02 pc (163 ly)
- Hipparcos catalog
- HIP 116805
Confirmed planets (1)
| Planet | Class | Mass (M⊕) | Radius (R⊕) | Period (d) | Distance (AU) | Eq. temp (K) | Discovered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| kap And b | Neptune-like | 4327.36 | 12.30 | — | 55.0000 | 1,900 | 2012 |
The planets in detail
kap And b is a Neptune-like world with about 12.30 Earth radii and 4327.36 Earth masses. It orbits kap And at 55.0000 AU with an unknown orbital period, and an extreme equilibrium temperature exceeding 1900 K. It was confirmed in 2012 via direct imaging.
Discovery
The single planet in the kap And system was confirmed in 2012 using direct imaging. Detection facilities: Subaru Telescope.
Observing from Earth
Exoplanets cannot be resolved visually with amateur telescopes — the host star's glare is overwhelming and even space-based direct imaging requires sophisticated coronagraphs. What you can observe is the host star itself at right ascension 355.1026°, declination 44.3339°. Use the 3D orrery above to inspect orbital geometry, planetary scale, and the habitable-zone overlay — the orbits are computed from the published Keplerian elements and animate at user-controlled time rates.