What it’s like to stand here
Ross 458 c
weight
9.71 g
sun
0.00× as wide
sky
deep orange

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

Ross 458 c

Ross 458 c is a confirmed gas-giant exoplanet 37.5 ly from Earth in the constellation Virgo, discovered in 2010 by Las Campanas Observatory.

Imaging: photographed directly, as a faint point of light beside its star.

Ross 458
host star
14.01 R⊕
radius
1,907 M⊕
mass · measured
orbital period
-269°C (-452°F)
avg temp
Human scale

Ross 458 c is a giant ball of gas with no solid surface to stand on; you would simply sink into ever-thicker cloud. Its orange dwarf looks 0.00× as wide as ours, bathing the cloud tops in deep orange light. At an estimated -269°C (-452°F) it is colder than almost anywhere in the solar system.

9.71 g
surface gravity (no solid surface · measured mass)
one year, in Earth time
0.00× as wide
how big its sun looks vs ours
deep orange
midday sky tint
0.1×
how high you could jump vs Earth
normal
day/night cycle (not tidally locked)
Calculate your exact weight on Ross 458 c
Earth Similarity Index0.00#5,785 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
NO GROUND: A DRIFTER, NOT A WALKER

There is no ground here to grow up on, only bottomless sky. A child could never stand, walk, or even fall to a surface, because there isn't one. Under 9.7 times Earth's gravity and pressure that only climbs the deeper you go, anything built for this world would not look human at all: picture something closer to a deep-sea creature than a person, broad and buoyant, drifting through the cloud decks with no need for legs and no floor to land on.

Body plan
Floating, not upright
With no surface and no fixed up or down, a skeleton built for standing would be useless; a drifting, gas-filled body would not.
Build
Broad and pressure-hardened
Pressure rises without limit toward the interior, so anything alive would have to be built like a deep-sea animal, not a land one.

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 a thin, helium-fast squeak.

There is no surface to stand on, and we have no temperature for this world, so its cloud-top acoustics cannot be modelled. In hydrogen-helium air sound races, so a voice would leap to a thin, almost cartoonish squeak.

The journey
Cosmic travel advisory
☆☆☆☆
Do not travel
  • !There is nowhere to land: no ground, no deck, only cloud that thickens into crushing pressure.
  • !Earth-similarity index 0.00: this world has almost nothing in common with our own.

A playful read of Ross 458 c’s measured and computed values, not a real advisory.

How long to get there · 37.5 ly away
Jet airliner
45.0 million years
dies en route1000-yr cryo: fails
Parker Solar Probethe fastest craft ever built
58,546 years
dies en route1000-yr cryo: fails
Light speed
38 years
arrives elderly
Warp 10
14 days
arrives thriving
Folding spacetimeinstant, plus 1 hr of paperwork
1 hour
arrives thriving
Size vs Earth
EarthRoss 458 c is 14× 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
SMALL TELESCOPE NEEDED
Host-star brightnessmag 9.8
ConstellationVirgo
To see the host star4-6" (100-150 mm) telescope
Gear bridge

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

Common questions

What is the gravity on Ross 458 c?

Ross 458 c is a gas giant with no solid surface to stand on. At its cloud tops, gravity pulls about 9.7 times as hard as Earth's.

How far is Ross 458 c from Earth?

Ross 458 c lies about 37.5 light-years from Earth.

How long would it take to get to Ross 458 c?

At the speed of NASA's Parker Solar Probe, the fastest craft ever built, the journey would take about 58,546 years.

How hot is Ross 458 c?

Ross 458 c's equilibrium temperature, the balance it reaches from its star's light alone before any greenhouse warming, is about -269°C (-452°F).

Illustration generated from Ross 458 c's confirmed parameters, not a photograph.