tau Gem planetary system
tau Gem is an orange main-sequence star of spectral type K2 III approximately 367 light-years from Earth (112.54 parsecs). It hosts 1 confirmed exoplanet.
Host star
- Name
- tau Gem
- Spectral type
- K2 III
- Effective temperature
- 4,388 K
- Mass
- 2.30 M☉ (solar masses)
- Radius
- 26.80 R☉ (solar radii)
- Distance
- 112.54 pc (367 ly)
- Hipparcos catalog
- HIP 34693
Confirmed planets (1)
| Planet | Class | Mass (M⊕) | Radius (R⊕) | Period (d) | Distance (AU) | Eq. temp (K) | Discovered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tau Gem b | Neptune-like | 6547.00 | 12.10 | 305.50 | 1.1700 | — | 2013 |
The planets in detail
tau Gem b is a Neptune-like world with about 12.10 Earth radii and 6547.00 Earth masses. It orbits tau Gem at 1.1700 AU with a 306-day year, and no published equilibrium temperature. It was confirmed in 2013 via radial velocity (Doppler) measurements.
Discovery
The single planet in the tau Gem system was confirmed in 2013 using radial velocity (Doppler) measurements. Detection facilities: Lick Observatory.
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 107.7847°, declination 30.2450°. 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.
