About this world
bet Pic b is a gas giant orbiting bet Pic, a white A-type star (type A6V) 64.4 light-years from Earth. It is about 1.6 times the size of Jupiter and holds 8.7 Jupiter masses. It completes an orbit every 23.8 years at 10 AU from its star.
Its equilibrium temperature is about 1,612 K (1,339 °C): far too hot for liquid water on its surface. At its size it almost certainly keeps a deep envelope of hydrogen and helium. Its atmosphere has already been studied: 4 spectroscopic observations.
It was discovered in 2008 by direct imaging with Paranal Observatory. The planet itself is photographed, its star blocked by a coronagraph. bet Pic has 3 known planets; the others are bet Pic c and bet Pic d.