Mu Arae b

Mu Arae b (also referred to as HD 160691 b) is an extrasolar planet orbiting the star Mu Arae of the constellation Ara. It's at least one and a half times the mass of Jupiter, and its orbital period is 643.25 days. The discovery of this planet was announced on December 12, 2002, and was originally thought to be on a highly eccentric orbit. The latest models of the its solar system, which incorporate four planets, give a lower eccentricity orbit. While the planet itself is likely to be a gas giant with no solid surface, the orbital distance of 1.497 astronomical units from its star puts it within the liquid water of the habitable zone of its solar system. As a result, large satellites, if they exist, of the planet, could potentially support life. However, it may not receive enough ultraviolet light for abiogenesis to proceed. Furthermore, it is not clear that Earth-size moons can actually be formed in the environment around a gas giant planet.
== References ==
Category:Ara (constellation)
Category:Exoplanets
Category:Exoplanets discovered in 2000
Category:Gas giants
Category:Exoplanets detected by radial velocity
Category:Gas giants in the habitable zone