Gliese 667 C
Where is Gliese 667 C?
Below the horizon after dark tonight in Scorpius. Rises 15:22.
- Rises
- 15:22
- Highest
- 17:23
- Sets
- 19:25
- Best after dark
- —
Can I see Gliese 667 C?
No. The planets of Gliese 667 C can’t be seen with the eye, binoculars or any amateur telescope: they are lost in their star’s light. What you can do is point toward the star.
From London tonight, the star Gliese 667 C isn’t above the horizon while the sky is dark. It rises at 15:22 and sets at 19:25, in daylight or twilight.
Why is Gliese 667 C interesting?
Gliese 667 C has 5 known planets, discovered between 2009 and 2013 by the radial velocity method.
2 of them are close to Earth’s size or mass, based on the catalog values.
What can you see?
Eyes
Direction onlyGliese 667 C is not visible to the eye. The combined light of its two brighter companions is around magnitude 6, at the naked-eye limit.
Binoculars
The bright pair shows as one star; the red dwarf is too faint and close to separate.
Telescope
Around magnitude 10, near the brighter pair; a telescope and chart help. The planets themselves can’t be seen with any backyard telescope.
About
Gliese 667 C is a red dwarf about 22 light-years away in Scorpius. It belongs to a triple star system, orbiting a pair of orange stars, Gliese 667 A and B.
Several planets have been reported around it, including Gliese 667 Cc, a super-Earth in the habitable zone. How many planets the star has is debated, as some signals may come from the star’s own activity.
From one of its planets, the other two stars of the system would shine brightly in the sky.
Gliese 667 A and B, the two orange stars, orbit each other every few decades. The red dwarf C lies much farther out.
Red dwarfs are the most common stars in our galaxy, and many of them have small planets. Planets close enough to a dim red dwarf to be warm are often tidally locked, with one side always facing the star.
The planets were found from the tiny wobble they cause in the star’s motion, a method that can confuse planets with starspots and other stellar activity.
The Gliese 667 C system
| Planet | Mass | Radius | Orbit | From star | Found | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GJ 667 Cb | 5.59 M⊕ | — | 7.20 days | 0.0505 AU | 2009 | Radial Velocity |
| GJ 667 Cc | 3.81 M⊕ | — | 28.1 days | 0.125 AU | 2011 | Radial Velocity |
| GJ 667 Cf | 2.70 M⊕ | — | 39.0 days | 0.156 AU | 2013 | Radial Velocity |
| GJ 667 Ce | 2.70 M⊕ | — | 62.2 days | 0.213 AU | 2013 | Radial Velocity |
| GJ 667 Cg | 4.61 M⊕ | — | 256.2 days | 0.549 AU | 2013 | Radial Velocity |
Questions
How many planets does Gliese 667 C have?
Sources: The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia (CC BY 4.0); star chart: Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences