Tau Ceti f
|Extrasolar planet||List of extrasolar planets|
|Right ascension||(α)||01h 44m 05s|
|Declination||(δ)||−15° 56′ 15″|
|Distance||11.905 ± 0.007 ly
(3.65 ± 0.002 pc)
|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|
|Semimajor axis||(a)||1.35 ± 0.1 AU|
|Eccentricity||(e)||0.03 ± 0.3|
|Orbital period||(P)||642 ± 30 d
|Semi-amplitude||(K)||0.58  m/s|
|Minimum mass||(m sin i)||6.6 M⊕|
|Discovery date||19 December 2012|
|Discoverer(s)||Tuomi et al.|
|Discovery method||Radial velocity|
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.
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.
Due to the detection method used, few properties of the planet are known other than its orbit and mass.
Assuming that Tau Ceti f is a terrestrial planet, it would likely be at least 2.3 times larger in size than the Earth.[dubious ] 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.
- Tuomi, M.; et al. "Signals embedded in the radial velocity noise: Periodic variations in the tau Ceti velocities". Astronomy & Astrophysics (preprint). arXiv:1212.4277. Bibcode:2012yCat..35519079T. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201220509.
- "Two Nearby Habitable Worlds? - Planetary Habitability Laboratory @ UPR Arecibo". Phl.upr.edu. Retrieved 2014-01-08.