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Star with planets

55 Cancri

Also Copernicus · Rho¹ Cancri · HD 75732

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55 Cancri — Artist's impression of 55 Cancri e
Artist's impression, not a photograph.Artist's impression of 55 Cancri e. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Licence: Public domain (NASA). Source

A binary star system whose main star hosts five known planets, including a lava-covered super-Earth.

Measured

Distance
41 light-years
Constellation
Cancer
Position (J2000)
RA 8h 52m 36s, Dec +28.33°

How far, from the Sun

41 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light41.1 years
  • Voyager 1's speed729,000 years
  • Driving at 100 km/h443 million years

Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.

Facts

  • Five known planets orbit its main star.
  • 55 Cancri e circles in under 18 hours and may have a molten surface.
  • The IAU named the main star Copernicus in 2015.

Where this comes from

  • Gaia DR3 parallax 79.4482 ± 0.0429 mas, Gaia DR3 704967037090946688 (Gaia Collaboration 2023, A&A 674, A1)

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.