Epsilon Reticuli b, sometimes designated Epsilon Reticuli Ab to distinguish from the white dwarf companion of the primary star Epsilon Reticuli, also known as HD 27442, was discovered on December 16, 2000 by the Anglo-Australian Planet Search Team using the highly successful radial velocity method. The planet's mass is at least 56% greater than Jupiter, a more accurate estimate requiring its inclination to be known.

The planet orbits its parent star relatively close, and with more than twice the eccentricity of Earth's orbit. The planet is certainly a gas giant and although this does not preclude life as we may or not know it, the planet still receives more than 16 times the heat Earth receives at Perihelion, and this factor is what dissolves hope of it having life, in the planet's atmosphere or in any massive moons (which cannot be detected with current technology) that the planet may have within its Hill sphere radius.

Basic Insolation Figures Chart

! Planet Distance

Insolation (W/m2)	% of Earth's.
Mars' Aphelion Flux	493.335	36.11%
Mars' Average Flux	588.947	43.11%
Mars' Perihelion Flux	717.577	52.53%
Earth's Aphelion Flux	1,323.444	96.88%
Earth's Average Flux	1,366.079	100.00%
Earth's Perihelion Flux	1,414.936	103.58%
Venus' Aphelion Flux	2,581.885	189.00%
Venus' Average Flux	2,613.359	191.30%
Venus' Perihelion Flux	2,653.077	194.21%
Epsilon Reticuli b Aphelion Flux	17,059.045	1248.76%
Epsilon Reticuli b Average Flux	19,502.849[1]	1427.65%
Epsilon Reticuli b Perihelion Flux	22,581.687	1653.03%

^[1] ((1.2 × 6.955e8 m)² (5.67051e-8) (4749°K)⁴) / (1.271×149597876600)² = 19,502.849 W/m²

References

• Butler et al. (2001). "Two New Planets from the Anglo-Australian Planet Search". The Astrophysical Journal 555 (1): 410 – 417.
• Butler et al. (2006). "Catalog of Nearby Exoplanets". The Astrophysical Journal 646 (1): 505 – 522. (web Preprint)

External links

• SIMBAD planet entry
• The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia entry
• ε Reticuli at Extrasolar Visions
• ε Reticuli Ab at Extrasolar Visions