HR 8799 e
Position on the route: 111/130 · level needed 2250 · journey (Mk0 engine) 374.2 h
By the numbers
| Distance | ≈ 129 light-years |
|---|---|
| Mass | ≈ 7–10 Jupiter |
| Year | ≈ 45 years |
| Age | ≈ 30 million years |
The story
HR 8799 was the first multi-planet system imaged directly: b, c and d in 2008, e in 2010. Four giant planets, each 5–10 Jupiter masses, 15 to 70 AU from their star; being so young they still glow with heat, and that is why they can be seen in the infrared. Their orbits are close to a 1:2:4:8 resonance.
JWST (2022–2023) found carbon dioxide and signs of clouds in the atmospheres of these planets: one of the first detections of carbon dioxide in an exoplanet atmosphere. The system also has two belts of dust, like the Solar System’s belts.
Missions
- Keck and Gemini: the first images (2008–2010)
- JWST (2022–): atmosphere spectra
Colony note
A young gas giant; no surface. An orbital station, Mk3 shield. The Lattice border.
☠ A young, hot gas giant: no surface. A station in orbit, inside a vast dust disc.
What probes bring back
- The first multi-planet system imaged directly in 2008–2010: four giant planets of 5–10 Jupiter masses, 15–70 AU from their star.
- JWST (2022–2023) found carbon dioxide and signs of clouds in their atmospheres; the star is only about 30 million years old.