What it’s like to stand here
HD 5278 b
weight
1.30 g
sun
9.9× wider
sky
bright white

Illustration computed from this world’s measured and derived values, not a photograph.

HD 5278 b

HD 5278 b is a confirmed sub-Neptune exoplanet 188 ly from Earth in the constellation Octans, discovered in 2021 by Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).

Transit: spotted by the tiny, repeating dip in its star’s light each time the planet crosses in front of it.

HD 5278
host star
2.45 R⊕
radius
7.80 M⊕
mass · measured
14 days
orbital period
670°C (1238°F)
avg temp
Human scale

Standing on HD 5278 b, you would weigh about 30% more than you do on Earth. Its yellow-white star looks 9.9× wider than ours, bathing the surface in bright white light. It is likely tidally locked, so that sun never moves in the sky: one hemisphere in endless day, the other in permanent night. A year passes in just 14 days, and at an estimated 670°C (1238°F) it is furnace-hot.

1.30 g
your weight (measured mass)
14 days
one year, in Earth time
9.9× wider
how big its sun looks vs ours
bright white
midday sky tint
0.8×
how high you could jump vs Earth
likely
likely tidally locked: probably eternal day on one side, night on the other
Calculate your exact weight on HD 5278 b
Earth Similarity Index0.24#3,353 of 5,788 ranked worlds

How closely this world matches Earth in size and warmth, from 0 to 1 (Earth = 1.0). Computed by gravityfinder. See every world ranked →

What these mean: surface gravity · tidal locking · equilibrium temperature · Earth similarity

If your children grew up herea playful thought experiment
EARTH HEIGHT≈ 0.95xEARTH-RAISEDRAISED HERE
about 0.95x as tall as on Earth · a 5 ft 10 in adult could stand nearer 5 ft 7 in

A little heavier than home, at 1.3 times Earth's gravity. A child raised here would likely grow a little shorter and sturdier than their Earth-raised parents, about 0.95x as tall as on Earth: a 5 ft 10 in adult could stand nearer 5 ft 7 in, with denser bones.

Bones
Thick and dense
More weight to bear forces the skeleton to grow denser and stronger all through childhood.

A playful thought experiment from this world’s gravity, not a prediction about any real person. No human has ever grown up off Earth, so no one truly knows; the direction (taller in low gravity, shorter and stockier in high) follows how growing bodies respond to weight.

Hear how a voice sounds herea computed acoustic demo

Your voice would sound high and thin, almost cartoonish.

Assuming Earth-like air at this world's temperature of about 670°C (1238°F), sound would travel roughly 81% faster than on Earth, so your voice would sound high and thin, almost cartoonish. The real atmosphere is unknown, so this is a best guess.

sound speed ≈ 616 m/s · 1.81× Earth · assumes Earth-like air

A real voice sample, pitch-shifted (tempo held constant) to suggest the acoustics: a playful approximation, not a precise simulation. Voice: Lingua Libre / Vealhurl, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The journey
Cosmic travel advisory
☆☆☆☆
Do not travel
  • !Furnace-hot at around 670°C (1238°F), with no liquid water and no shade anywhere.
  • Surface gravity is close to Earth's, 1.30 times, so you would move much as you do here.
  • !Its star delivers about 132 times the sunlight Earth gets, a blinding, sterilizing glare.
  • !Likely tidally locked: one hemisphere in endless day, the other in permanent night.

A playful read of HD 5278 b’s measured and computed values, not a real advisory.

How long to get there · 188 ly away
Jet airliner
225 million years
dies en route1000-yr cryo: fails
Parker Solar Probethe fastest craft ever built
292,919 years
dies en route1000-yr cryo: fails
Light speed
188 years
dies en route1000-yr cryo: survives
Warp 10
69 days
arrives thriving
Folding spacetimeinstant, plus 1 hr of paperwork
1 hour
arrives thriving
Size vs Earth
EarthHD 5278 b is 2.5× the width of Earth
Explore from here · roam the neighborhood

Zoom out: star → system → (soon) galaxy arm, host black hole, and a real image of the host galaxy.

Can you see it tonight? · observe
BINOCULARS NEEDED
Host-star brightnessmag 7.9
ConstellationOctans
To see the host star50 mm binoculars
Gear bridge

Matched telescope & eyepiece recommendations are coming. Any product links will carry a clear affiliate disclosure.

Common questions

What is the gravity on HD 5278 b?

HD 5278 b's surface gravity is about 1.3 times Earth's.

How much would you weigh on HD 5278 b?

Someone who weighs 150 pounds on Earth would weigh about 195 pounds on HD 5278 b.

How far is HD 5278 b from Earth?

HD 5278 b lies about 188 light-years from Earth.

How long would it take to get to HD 5278 b?

At the speed of NASA's Parker Solar Probe, the fastest craft ever built, the journey would take about 292,919 years.

How hot is HD 5278 b?

HD 5278 b's equilibrium temperature, the balance it reaches from its star's light alone before any greenhouse warming, is about 670°C (1238°F).

How long is a year on HD 5278 b?

HD 5278 b completes one orbit of its star in 14 days.

Illustration generated from HD 5278 b's confirmed parameters, not a photograph.