---
title: "Luhman 16 b"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/luhman-16-b"
release: "DR1"
licence: "No licence stated; acknowledgement requested"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. Luhman 16 b [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/luhman-16-b"
---

# Luhman 16 b

Luhman 16 b is a gas giant in the constellation [Vela](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/vela). It orbits Luhman [16](https://spacecatalog.org/object/16-psyche) A at a mean distance of 3.52 AU. It has a mass of 29.40 M♃ and a radius of 1.06 R♃ · 75 899 km. Other catalogues list it as Luhman 16 A. It was discovered in 2017.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Gas giant
- **HOW FAR:** 3.52 AU — Its average distance from Luhman 16 A, not from Earth.
- **HOW BIG:** 1.06 R♃ · 75 899 km — Its radius: half the width across.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Vela](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/vela) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.
- **ONE ORBIT TAKES:** 26.5 years — One trip round Luhman 16 A.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Gas giant |
| MASS | 29.40 M♃ ±0.2 |
| RADIUS | 1.06 R♃ · 75 899 km |
| ORBITS | Luhman 16 A |
| SEMI-MAJOR AXIS | 3.52 AU +0.43 / −0.4 |
| CONSTELLATION | Vela |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 10h 49m 18.8s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | −53° 19′ 09.7″ |
| DISCOVERED | 2017 |

## Catalogue data

### WHAT KIND OF THING IT IS

What the object is in itself, rather than how it happens to look from here.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Host star mass | 0.0338 ±0.0002 M☉ |

### THE ORBIT

The shape of the path, where the object sits on it, and the instant those figures were true of. An orbit is a fit to observations and drifts away from the real one either side of its epoch.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Host star | Luhman 16 A |
| Orbital period | 26.55 years +1790 / −1534 |
| Eccentricity | 0.344 +0.05 / −0.09 |
| Inclination | 79.92 +0.22 / −0.36° |
| Argument of periastron | 136.67 +1.9 / −4.3° |
| Periastron epoch | 2448030.5000 BJD |
| Transit midpoint | 2458141.0000 BJD |
| Stars in system | 1 |
| Planets in system | 1 |

### WHEN IT WAS FOUND

Who first saw it, from where, and by what method.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Discovery method | Imaging |
| Discovered at | Multiple Observatories |

## Also known as

- Exoplanet: Luhman 16 b
- Host star: Luhman 16 A

## Source

[NASA Exoplanet Archive (Planetary Systems Composite Parameters)](https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/TblView/nph-tblView?app=ExoTbls&config=PSCompPars) — No licence stated; acknowledgement requested

The producer asks: This research has made use of the NASA Exoplanet Archive, which is operated by the California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under the Exoplanet Exploration Program. Cite Christiansen et al. (2025), Planetary Science Journal (doi:10.3847/PSJ/ade3c2), and the literature reference given with each value.

How this was made: https://spacecatalog.org/methods#source-exoplanet-archive

## Cite this page

SpaceCatalog. Luhman 16 b \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/luhman-16-b

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_luhman-16-b,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{Luhman 16 b}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/luhman-16-b},
  note         = {Catalogue entry, data release DR1 (2026-08-21). Values from NASA Exoplanet Archive (Planetary Systems Composite Parameters).}
}
```

NASA Exoplanet Archive (Planetary Systems Composite Parameters) — No licence stated; acknowledgement requested

Acknowledgement the producer asks for: This research has made use of the NASA Exoplanet Archive, which is operated by the California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under the Exoplanet Exploration Program. Cite Christiansen et al. (2025), Planetary Science Journal (doi:10.3847/PSJ/ade3c2), and the literature reference given with each value.

The page itself, with its pictures, the sky map and the observing tools: https://spacecatalog.org/object/luhman-16-b